


Dogwoods, Poinsettias, Bambusa Tulda, and a Night-Blooming Cereus

by DanieXJ



Category: Guiding Light
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-06-13
Updated: 2009-06-13
Packaged: 2017-11-20 10:02:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 41,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/584153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanieXJ/pseuds/DanieXJ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A wedding, and of course, with a Springfield Wedding comes much, much drama.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"You sure you can do this?"

"I've done it before, not in a place quite this... ritzy, but yeah."

Blake glanced around Company and frowned, "Ritzy?" She chuckled, "Whatever you want to call it Casey. Here's shirts, apron."

Casey raised an eyebrow, "No hat?" A grin came to her face. She was tall, with a runner's build. She had hazel eyes, and short dirty blonde hair that made it seem as though she had just been electrocuted.

Blake smiled and looked up as the door opened, letting out a customer and letting in a running Emma, followed by a slower Natalia. Emma jumped onto a stool. "Hi Blake."

Blake smiled at the little one, "Hey Emma."

Emma looked over at Casey. "Who are you?"

Natalia frowned at the young child. "Em..."

Casey chuckled, "It's okay. I'm Casey Jones, and you are?"

Emma glanced over at Natalia, who nodded, "Emma Spencer Spaulding. My Mommy's Olivia Spencer. This is Natalia. Do you know that you have the same name as the train guy Casey Jones."

Casey inclined her head, "In fact I do know that. 'Come all you rounders if you want to hear A story 'bout a brave engineer,'..."

Casey trailed off and Emma finished the stanza, "'Casey Jones was the rounder's name 'Twas on the Illinois Central that he won his fame.'" Emma clapped her hands together. "That is so cool, you're so cool..."

Casey smiled and shook Natalia's hand when she offered it. "Natalia Rivera."

Blake spoke up, "A late working night? Wedding plans?"

Natalia shook her head, "Movie night actually, taking a break from the wedding. Olivia's over at Cedars getting checked out. We'll have the usual."

Casey glanced between Natalia and Blake, "Someone's gonna have to tell me what constitutes usual."

Emma spoke from her stool with no other prompting. "Medium Well, you know, cooked, but not all black and icky, cheeseburger, no veggies." Natalia let a sigh escape her lips but Emma ignored it. "Mom likes well done, cheeseburger too, onions. She only eats half, otherwise Natalia gives her really stern looks, like when I want to have candy for breakfast. And Natalia likes it all on a well done hamburger, but no cheese." Emma shook her head.

Casey also raised an eyebrow, this time at Natalia, "No cheese?"

Emma giggled, "It's so weird."

"How else do you think I can keep this girlish figure?"

Casey chuckled, "Won't be too long for your burgers." She disappeared into the kitchen.

Another customer, Ashlee Wolfe, came in and Blake left Emma and Natalia alone at the counter. "Natalia, can we watch my choice for the movie?"

"I don't know, it's it your mother's turn."

Emma pouted, "But Mom's are never fun."

Natalia smiled and ran a hand through Emma's hair. "Well, we'll see if we can convince Olivia to let you pick. Though, we should leave out the part where her's are no fun."

Casey appeared at the counter. "Blake..." Blake looked up, "Apparently there's a trick to startin' up the stove back there?"

Blake nodded and made her way past Casey into the back.

"Sorry 'bout that. It'll be a little longe..." She trailed off. "Does anyone else hear that? It sounds... it sounds like..." Before she said another word she was over the counter. She grabbed Emma in her arms and plowed into Natalia, throwing herself and them across the room as the world seemed to contract and explode at the same time.

oOOOOo

Olivia barely knew that she moved. One moment she was sitting in an exam room, being talked at by Rick, the next she was staring at the wreck of what had been Company. For a second it was as if she were stuck in time, she couldn't move, her heart was beating so fast she was surprised her monitor wasn't bleeping the hell out of itself. Or perhaps it was, but she couldn't hear anything. She felt the heat of the fire, and she could smell.... She didn't even want to think the thought. "Natalia, Natalia, Emma, Em..."

She started towards the former restaurant, but was brought up short as a figure barreled out of Company with something in his or her arms. The person spoke, "Do NOT go in there, here, take them..."

Olivia stumbled as a stunned Natalia, who was holding a sobbing Emma was practically thrown into her arms. "Wait... what..."

The person dove back into Company, and Olivia sank to the ground, holding onto her love and her daughter for dear life.

oOOOOo

"Blonde girl, blondie, blonde girl. If you can hear me, say something, say something, scream something...."

Casey heard a cough, and a soft voice, "Ashlee..."

"Ashlee, good, is my voice getting closer?"

Another cough, "Yes, my... my ankle hurts."

Casey practically dove at the pile of wood that Ashlee seemed to be under. "Hey, you know how many broken ankles I have, I had a thousand bucks for each time I broke it, well, I'd have at least five grand. Ah..." She pulled off the second to last beam. "There you are. And, still blonde. Does anything else hurt?"

Ashlee's eyes went wide when she saw Casey's face. "Oh my God, you..." Then the blonde sniffed, "That smells like gas."

"I know... can you wriggle out?" Ashlee shook her head. Casey nodded, mostly to herself and gripped the big beam that lay across Ashlee's ankle. "So... I'm new in town. Casey. Do buildings generally explode here?" Her muscles spasmed, but the beam didn't move.   
Ashlee slowly shook her head, "Fire sometimes, but... I can."

Casey cut the younger woman off, "Don't move, okay. This is only a fuckin' piece of wood, and wood does not intimidate me." Ashlee frowned as Casey smirked to herself. She bent down, gripping the beam again. Then she pulled, using her knees, quads, back, arms, and every part of her being. A yell bubbled up from her diaphragm, made its way to her throat and Ashlee jumped as the groan turned into a full fledged primal scream, but the beam was moving, and moving.

Through gritted teeth Casey spoke, "Back up, back up, back up."

Ashlee scooted back quickly, and with a giant crash the beam came down. "Casey, are you…"

"Shush..." She knelt down and with one move threw Ashlee over her shoulder. "You think you're gonna fall, grab my belt or jeans, okay, 'cause we're gonna go fast now..."

oOOOOo

Olivia jumped as a hand came down on her shoulder. She looked up, "Doris?"

The Mayor looked as freaked out as Olivia had only moments before. "Ashlee, where is my daughter, tell me you saw he..."

Everyone jumped as the building that had housed Company was totally obliterated. Debris rained from the sky. Where there had just been a restaurant, a boarding house, now there was debris field, wood, destroyed pots, pans, even torn to hell and back clothes. Doris stood in the middle of the street and stared at it. Her head started shaking, and it didn't stop, just kept going and going, and going.

Olivia stood and took a hold of one of Doris' hands. Her family was safe, but Doris' wasn't. Someone had to keep some sort of pretend calm in the situation. "Doris, Doris... Wolfe..." She slapped the mayor, who jumped, and focused on Olivia. "Speak words Doris. Was Ashlee..." The words got lost in Olivia's throat, but no words were needed as she saw the look on Doris' face. 

Olivia put an arm around the Mayor's shoulders. "It didn't happen at the..."

Doris pushed Olivia away, "She was... she just wanted a sa... Did I, I didn't tell her I loved her... I haven't in such a lo..."

Everyone looked up as the young woman in question came shooting around what had been Company. "I need help, I need help, she's bleeding so badly, and Blake's with her, but she's hurt so bad, and she saved me..." She didn't get to finish her thought as she made an 'omfph' noise as Doris engulfed her daughter in a crushing hug. Ashlee tried to get out of it, wriggling and wiggling until she broke her mother's grip. "No, she's hurt, Casey's hurt. She saved me..."

And then Ashlee's ankle went out from under her. It was a combination of Olivia and Doris who caught her before she hit the ground. Olivia let her mother take care of Ashlee and looked down at Natalia, "Are you..."

Natalia waved her hand, "We're fine, go, go Liv, we'll send the paramedics back."

oOOOOo

"Don't get up Casey, don't get up."

Casey pushed away Blake's hand and stood. She turned and came face to face with Olivia. "Move..."

"Have you seen yourself? I'd listen to Blake, she's not just the Manager of Company, she's done pretty much everything else in this town, and you... half your face is hanging off your... well, your face."

It was only a moment later that Remy and his partner came running around the corner.


	2. Chapter 2

Blake shook her head. She and Lillian stood at the nurse's station. "Bruises, bumps, Emma and Natalia don't have a scratch between them, and all Ashlee has is a broken ankle." She shook her head again.

"This... Casey Jones does have a bit more wrong."

Blake put a hand to her head, "I sure am glad I hired her though. Can you just see what would have happened if Ashlee had died, what hell Doris would have given this town? Or Natalia and Emma for that matter. The Spauldings and Olivia coming down on everyone." Blake shuddered.

Lillian nodded, "I need to get in and check on Ms. Jones."

Blake stepped aside, "Of course, of course..."

Lillian only got her head in the room and then she was back out. "She's gone, why am I surprised, of course she's gone." The experienced nurse shook her head, "This is not a good thing. She has a concussion, she shouldn't be alone out there."

"Who?"

Lillian looked up at Natalia, Emma and Olivia. "Casey, she..." Lillian shook her head, "Has gone AWOL. But, we need to find her. She's all stitched up, but she also has quite a concussion."

Olivia met Natalia's eyes and then nodded, "Well, we should be out there looking for her then, right? Lillian, you'll call Mallet, we'll go, see if we can find her too. Blake."

"...she was living above Company."

Natalia spoke up, "Perhaps the church."

Blake shook her head, "I don't think she's Catholic, or Christian. She..." Blake squinted, as if recalling something. "I think she's Jewish... don't ask me why. A joke, I think... something she..."

"Emma..."

Emma made a face, "Stay with Blake?"

Olivia looked up at Blake, "If that's..."

Blake nodded, "Go, go..."

oOOOOo

Frank and Mallet stared at Company, "Who would do this Frank?"

Frank sighed, "Would you like the list alphabetized or by most likely suspect."

Jeffrey appeared at the two men's sides. "Everyone got out okay?"

Mallet was the one who answered the question, "Yep. Some woman, the new cook I guess, got 'em all out. Carried Ashlee out on her back." Mallet's phone rang and he answered it, "Mallet." He went silent. "Are you sure... she's what... damnit Olivia."

He snapped closed the phone. "This Casey just went AWOL from Cedars. Lillian thinks she may be at Springfield's Temple."

Jeffrey frowned, "Springfield has a Temple?"

Frank practically growled, "She's the one who did this. She is, I can feel it in my bones."

"Frank she..."

Frank set off towards his car, Mallet jogging to keep up, "Frank, think this through."

"No. She almost killed Nat and Emma, no, this is all her fault, and she will not get away with it."

"Frank..."

oOOOOo

"So, were you sent by God?" Casey didn't move from her seat, barely even breathed differently as Olivia came up the aisle. "See, I've never been good with God you know, but lately. I have this friend, really good friend, more than a friend actually." She glanced up the aisle to where Natalia waited. "We're actually getting married. Well, not that we can here, in Springfield, but committed at least. Maybe before her I'd have said that God sent you, but I wouldn't have believed it. Not now. God sent you and you saved everyone who means anything to me." She sat down in front of Casey. "Thank you."

Casey opened her eyes, they were unfocused, "Didn do it for you."

Olivia didn't know what to say to that, so she stayed silent for a bit. Finally she couldn't stand the silence. "Why'd you leave the hospital."

Casey was silent for quite a long time herself before she finally spoke. "Don't like 'em. Docs and Nurses are useless."

Olivia stared at Casey. "I'm not crazy about them either, but you could have a bleed in your head and not even know it. And most of the Doctors and Nurses at Cedars are pretty good. Give me a new heart that's still beating in me."

She stood and held out a hand. "You saved my daughter. Let me save you from killing yourself."

Casey stared at the hand for a long moment, a frown on her face. Finally she took Olivia's hand and stood. "One night."

Olivia nodded, "I'll talk to Rick myself."

They were almost back to Natalia when Frank flew into the room, his gun drawn and pointed at Casey. "Move away from the woman Olivia. Now."

"Frank. What. Put down the gun, you're in... you're..."

Natalia chimed in, "You're in a house of God."

A female voice came from behind Casey and Olivia. "You have two choices Officer, Detective. Put down the gun, or get out."

"This woman."

Mallet appeared in the doorway and swore under his breath.

The woman behind Casey and Olivia wasn't done. She was of medium height, brown eyes and curly salt and pepper, heavy on the pepper, hair that was tied up in a pony tail. "I've known this woman for over a decade. You, I don't know you. Whatever you think she did... she didn't."

Mallet lowered Frank's gun for him and pried it from his fingers. "C'mon Frank. Olivia and Natalia'll get her back to Cedars. Let's get to the station, we have a lot of work ahead of us Frank."

Frank stared straight through Casey's forehead. "We will get you for this. We will."

Mallet finally managed to drag Frank out of the building and silence fell. The woman turned Casey and gave her a long hug before she took a step back. She gently put a hand on Casey's bandages face. "Are you okay?"

Casey shrugged.

The woman looked up at the expectant faces, trying to figure out who she was. "Ah, sorry. Rabbi Rebecca Mayer. Rebecca."

Natalia spoke, "Do you know Father Ray?"

Rebecca smiled, "I've met him. You're one of his flock?" Natalia nodded. "You'll take care of Casey here?"

Natalia nodded again, "She saved me and my... and Emma's life."

Olivia smirked, "She'd take care of her worst enemy, oh, wait..." Natalia poked Olivia, who rubbed at the spot, but kept speaking. "She did way back when and now..."

The hotelier trailed off as Casey let go a laugh, "You two are seriously lame."

"Casey."

Olivia bristled, "Just because we're two women."..."

Casey laughed again, cutting Olivia off mid sentence, "Not because you're gay, because you two are sappy as hell." She shook her head and started towards the door.

Natalia and Olivia's gazes met and Olivia shook her head, "That was a... unique reaction."

Rebecca spoke up, "She's quite a unique person. She'll be at Cedars?" Both women nodded, "I'll come in the morning. See if I can get her to stay a little longer."

oOOOOo

"Everything we have on Casey Jones."

Mallet put a hand on Frank's shoulder. "Go home Frank, be with your family. Buzz, Marina, coo at my son a bit. Let me do this."

"No, I..."

Mallet took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest. "You think I can't do it? That's why you want to do it yourself. Go home, be with your family. Hug my son, hug your father, who's legacy just went up in a gigantic explosion. I'll see if your theory is valid, then come home myself."

"I..."

"Go home."

Frank took a couple of breaths and finally nodded, "Yes, yeah, okay." He pushed things around on his desk for a moment before he gathered his things and left the station.

Mallet let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He turned and groaned, "Mayor Wolfe."

"Where are you with who did this? The bomb squad said the first explosion was indeed a bomb."

Mallet shook his head, "No where yet Doris. I just got Frank to go home. I'm going to do a background check on Casey Jones."

Doris frowned, "The woman who saved my daughter?"

"She left the hospital. They wanted to watch her overnight."

"Did they, did you find her?"

Mallet nodded, "Temple. She's going back to Cedars."

"So she's at the hospital, now?"

Mallet nodded distractedly as he stared at his computer screen. "Mmmm... 'til tomorrow at least." He glanced up, Doris was gone. He shook his head, "Who are you Casey Jones, and why does Frank seem so sure that you tried to blow yourself up."

oOOOOo

"I don't understand Emma's love of mushroom's on her pizza. On pizza?"

Natalia chuckled as she sank onto the couch next to Olivia with a groan. "So say the woman who likes Anchovies on hers."

"Anchovies. I didn't see any of those on our pie? You put away Emma's leftovers?"

Natalia nodded and lay her head against Olivia's chest. She sighed as Olivia's arms encircled her. "As if I'd let you have those little bundles of salt. Practically heart attack pills. I love you too much to let you do that." Olivia harrumphed as Natalia closed her eyes and simply listened to the heart that had brought them together.

Both women were in the space between wakefulness and sleep when there was the sound of the front door closing and an, "Ooh, sorry Ma."

Rafe stopped at the bottom of the stairs as his mother sat up. He seemed to be debating something with himself. He finally turned and let out an 'oof' as his mother engulfed him. He hugged her back with almost as much enthusiasm. Finally they both took a step back, though Rafe kept his hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay Ma? Is Emma okay?"

"Yeah, yes we're fine. Did you get my call?"

Rafe resisted rolling his eyes, "Yes, Ma. But I wasn't the one who nearly got blown to bits." He glanced over his mother's shoulder. "Is she really okay Liv?"

Olivia nodded, "She is. They both are."

Rafe let go of his mother. "Yeah, okay. I'm going to get to bed. Night." He leaned over to give his mother a kiss on the cheek and started up the stairs, two at a time.

Natalia didn't move from the bottom of the stairs even after Rafe entered his room. Olivia came up behind her and wrapped her arms around Natalia. "Are you okay?"

Natalia turned in Olivia's arms. "You know I will take care of Emma, no matter what happens, but if something..."

"Yes."

Natalia gave Olivia's chest a push, and let her hand rest on it. "Let me finish, please. He's not a child like Em, but if anything ever happened to me..."

"I would be there for Rafe." Olivia chuckled and hugged Natalia to her. "We're part of each other anyway, right?"

Natalia pushed away, "This isn't a joke."

Olivia put a hand to her head, "Nat, Natalia." But the younger woman had already retreated to the kitchen.

Olivia waited a moment before she followed Natalia into the kitchen. She leaned against the door jamb. "I'm sorry."

Natalia hurfed and kept washing the dishes. "For what?"

"For being me, being an ass. Making fun when I should have been being serious. But, it's... it's the only way I know Natalia. The only way I know how to deal with fear. How am I supposed to deal with nearly losing you, losing Emma. Hearing the explosion, standing there, I should have told you sooner, I should have... the moment I realized I loved you I should have... all my mistakes, all my... Standing there, all that I could think was... was..." As Olivia spoke her next words, Natalia whispered the exact words to the window, the outside and the ducks, "When did I last say I love you."

"Because I do, so much, and never say it enough." Olivia stepped behind Natalia. "We're a family. I get Rafe, you get Emma, Sammy, Ava, maybe Jonathan if he pops back up. In the long run I probably get the better deal than you do."

Natalia turned. "I love you too Olivia." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She pulled Olivia to her. She watched her love's eyes. She could practically see Olivia push down whatever self deprecating thing was running through her head.

Instead, Olivia and Natalia's lips met and words were not needed. Olivia was never at a loss for words when it came to kisses and the more physical side of their relationship. Slowly but surely Natalia was getting the hotelier to just be. If she was sad, be sad, mad, be mad. And Olivia was teaching the younger woman that sometimes, you just had to just shut up and make love.

oOOOOo

"Who are you?"

"Wha? Who... ughhh..." Casey put a hand to her face, "You're not a nurse."

"You assume I'm a nurse not a doctor, how medieval of you. Who are you?"

"Casey Jones. And in quite a bit of pain. No need to shout." She rubbed at her forehead, careful not to disturb the stitches. She'd wanted them to use glue, she wasn't vain, but they'd said that the cut, which went down the left side of her face from her forehead to her chin was too long.

"That's your name. Why are you in Springfield?"

Casey rubbed at her eyes. "Are you a cop?"

"Should I be?"

Casey sighed, "I'm here because I need a break, somewhere quiet, somewhere with no drama. Now, I have nowhere to work, absolutely none of my stuff, one friend in the whole town, and I'm in pain. Tell me why you're here, or get out please."

Doris stared at Casey for a bit. "Did you... were you the one who... It was a bomb, they know that. Was it your bomb? Did you nearly kill my daughter?"

"No. No ma'am, or is that doctor?"

Silence came over the hospital room again as Doris ignored Casey's jab. A unique occurrence. "She's all I care about. Tell... she won't tell me what happened, will you Ms. Jones?"

"Casey."

"Casey, will you tell me?"

Casey finally really looked at the intruder into her room. "You look worse than I do lady."

"Doris."

Casey took in the new information. Finally she pushed herself up a bit in bed and nodded. Doris pulled a chair to the side of the bed and sat. "I... I don't know how I knew something was wrong, but... I did...."


	3. Chapter 3

Marina stuck her head into the squad room. It was nearly six am and the room was quiet. Her husband seemed to be asleep at his desk. Marina put a hand on his shoulder and he jerked up. "Wha? Henry..."

Marina smiled, "Safe at home with Buzz and a worried Lillian among others."

Mallet tried to rub the sleep away, "I didn't get home. I'm sorr..."

"You worked all night? Didn't go out carousing with Tommy and the boys? I understand. We had to practically knock my father out to get him to stay put at home. He'll probably be in later though."

Mallet stood and stretched, "Thanks for the warning. It wasn't just a dream. Company and... everything?"

Marina shook her head as he sat back down. "No, God Alan must be laughing his ass off. I was just on my way to talk to Josh and Billy."

"You're thinking about rebuilding already?"

Marina nodded, "We need it. I need it, or I'll just sit at home, staring at Henry, freaking out. I was inside with him just minutes before... before."

Mallet took possession of one of Marina's hands and kissed its palm. "And I thank God or whatever deity was watching out for you that you and Henry were out."

Marina glanced around the still empty squad room and slid onto Mallet's lap. "I know we can't start with the building yet, but, I need something to take my mind off... everything that's running through it." She paused, "If..."

Mallet silenced his wife with a kiss. "You two weren't hurt, and everyone who was, got out. We haven't gotten any freaked out family members calling in missing person reports either. Everything turned out miraculously well. C'mon," he stood, bringing Marina to her feet, "I need a break. I'll walk you over to the H.B. Lewis crew. They're all named Billy right?"

Marina laughed.

oOOOOo

"Oh... I didn't know someone was going to be here."

Doris sat up and adjusted her suit jacket, "You must be the one friend. I, I must have fallen asleep. I need to go."

Rebecca didn't move from the doorway. "You're the Mayor. You came to one of the town's faith council meetings. Sparred with Father Ray and Reverend Heart."

Doris stood and tried to straighten her suit once, and again. It was beyond help. "I am. I came to ask Casey some questions."

Rebecca glanced at Casey, then back to Doris. "Did she answer them to your satisfaction?"

Doris turned, and looked at the sleeping woman in the bed. "They let her sleep about an hour ago." Rebecca didn't even blink as she faced off against Doris. Doris tried to win the staring contest, but she was dead tired, and had a crick in her neck. She gave in, "If you mean, did I believe her when sh e said she didn't do it?" Doris paused, "Yes. I'll leave you two alone."

Doris left the room, but watched through the window as the Rabbi went to Casey's side and brushed some hair from the young woman's forehead. She got bumped from behind and the spell was broken. She shook her head, she had to get home to Ashlee.

oOOOOo

It was Olivia who sat straight up at the scream. She was out of the room and down the hall to Emma's bedside before she was entirely awake. She'd have bruises in a few hours. The young girl was shaking even as Olivia climbed onto Emma's bed and wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm here Em, I'm here Emma."

Emma's eyes snapped around the room like it was on fire, never resting and getting wider by the second. "Natalia, where's Natalia... Mommy, where..."

Natalia's sleep tinged voice came from the doorway, "I'm right here Emma."

Emma held out a hand. "Please. You-you could be a ghost."

Natalia moved to the bed and knelt down next to it. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Emma nodded and latched onto Natalia's hand in a death grip. "Don't go... don't go Natalia. You're not going to go?"

Olivia moved over a bit and Natalia slid in behind Emma on the bed. "Can you tell us about it Em? Your dream?"

"But, but what if I say it, and it-it comes true?" She sniffed back her tears.

Olivia spoke, "Kiddo, if you tell us, then Natalia and I... we can help you make sure that it doesn't happen."

Emma swallowed, and was silent for a minute before she started, "We were having dinner here, and, and Rafe was here with us, and then, there was a tick tock, tick tock, but not like a clock or watch or anything, and then, and Rafe started..." Her voice hitched and while Natalia hugged the little girl closer Olivia brushed a lock of hair off her daughter's forehead. "He started to melt, and then Natalia did, and then you Mommy, and then... I-I-I was..." A sob escaped from Emma, who sniffled and pushed on, "I was all alone."

Olivia closed her eyes as Natalia asked, "Emma, have you had this dream before?" Emma nodded slowly, "When your Mom was very sick. Did you keep it to yourself all this time jellybean?" The girl nodded again. "We're all still here. Your Mom, Rafe, me."

Emma blinked, "I'm sorry..."

Natalia started to speak, but stopped when she looked over at Olivia. The older woman sniffed her own tears away and her free hand swept away the shed tears. She turned Emma around in the bed and cupped her little cheek. "No, no... it's okay Emma-love." She lifted the little girl's chin so that she had to look at her, "No matter who you are, what you do, what happens, good, bad, really, really bad we'll always be here for you. I promise."

Emma closed her eyes, but after a second something dawned on her and she opened them again, "If... if you, you know. I mean, I don't want you to, and it would be really sad, and, and. Can I stay with Natalia? Not Daddy? I love Daddy, but... but..."

"Yes."

Emma's face relaxed as Natalia looked over at Olivia. Stunned. Olivia moved away from her daughter. "Do you think you want to go to school today? Or have a sick day?"

"But I'm not sick."

Natalia laughed, a laugh tinged with just a bit of nervousness. Olivia hadn't heard that laugh for quite a few months. Natalia ruffled Emma's hair, "Like mother, like daughter. Work, work, work..."

Olivia rolled her eyes, "Oh, Ms. four jobs at the same time, who's the workaholic again?"

"Ha, ha... I can lounge so much better than you ever could Olivia Spencer."

"Puleeze..."

It was Emma's turn to roll her eyes, "Can... I want to go to school."

"Are you sure kiddo?" Emma nodded, "Then we'll get up and maybe we'll even be early."

At nearly the same moment both Natalia and Emma burst out laughing. Olivia rolled her eyes as she climbed from the bed. "Oh, I see how it is."

"Liv..."

"Mommy..."

Olivia strode from the room. After a moment she stuck her head back in with a smile, "Well, you two coming?"

oOOOOo

"Do you need anything?"

"I could have gone to my apartment, you don't have to take care of me..." Ashlee glanced around the Wolfe house. She hadn't spent too much time in it, which had been on purpose, but her mother was right, the stairs to the apartment would have been a pain in the ass to navigate over and over, but she wasn't going to admit that to Doris Wolfe. "You're hovering. It's a bum ankle, not paraplegia."

Doris sat down across from her daughter, "Did you see Casey put the bomb there?"

Ashlee sat up on the couch, "She saved my life, I won't let you roll over her."

Doris held her hands up, "No, Ashlee, I believe her."

Ashlee blinked, "You went to see her? She's okay? They wouldn't tell me, how she was when I was at the hospital getting this stupid cast on. Her face was all ripped and everything."

"Well, she won't win any beauty pageants." Ashlee frowned at Doris. "What?"

Ashlee shook her head, "She saved my life. Did you even thank her?"

Doris was silent.

"You didn't."

The Mayor stood. "I'll leave you alone. Are Daisy or Christina coming over?"

Ashlee shrugged, "Maybe."

"Good, that's good. You need anything, you call me, okay?"

Ashlee closed her eyes and lay her head back, "Whatever."

oOOOOo

"Why did you tell Emma that she would stay with me if something happened to you?"

"Because it's true."

"Olivia."

Olivia shook her head emphatically. "I have full custody of Emma. That's not to say that... I..." Olivia trailed off and started again, "We talked."

Natalia blinked, "Alone? And you're both still alive."

"Ha... Yes. We talked for a long time. It was..." Olivia shook her head, "He agreed that if anything happens to me, he won't fight you for Emma."

"And what did you give him in return?"

Olivia looked down at the floor for a moment before she answered. "I promised him that we would... work towards joint custody of Emma."

A smile came to Natalia's face, "That's great... she needs to know her father. To have both her parents in her life."

Olivia grabbed both Natalia's hands, "All three parents. You may not be adopting her love, but you have all the lawyerly crap, all the proclamations and paperwork, and even if we didn't. She's your daughter too. I could see that all the way back when I was trying to steal Gus from you. She is just as much a Rivera as she ever will be a Spencer or a Spaulding, and I thank God every day for that."

They both fell silent. Natalia broke the silence with a chuckle, "You want to go visit her. This Casey." Natalia bumped Olivia's hip with her own as Olivia put away the last breakfast dish. "If you don't watch out, you might turn into me. Letting Phillip see Emma more, caring about people..."

Olivia rolled her eyes and gripped Natalia around the waist. Without any warning she lifted. It got an immediate reaction from Natalia, who whacked the older woman on the chest over and over, "Heart, heart, your heart, put me down this instant Olivia Spencer."

Olivia smiled as she placed Natalia back on the floor. "Yes ma'am. Meet you at work?"

"Yes ma'am. Don't forget, you have a meeting with Jared at ten."

"So don't dawdle?"

oOOOOo

Rick put a hand on Frank's shoulder. "She's had a long night Frank, and her Rabbi's in with her."

"I thought she wasn't that far gone?"

Rick sighed, "Leave her be for now Frank. I don't think she's going anywhere."

Frank ignored the Doctor and pushed into the room. The woman he assumed was the Rabbi was speaking, "You know that's not true Casey." She turned, "Can we help you?"

"Frank Cooper, SFPD. I need to speak with Ms. Jones."

Rebecca stood straighter, "Just as you did yesterday? I don't think so. Please leave."

"Why are you in Springfield?"

Casey closed her eyes, "Because I have the luck of... I have the luck of the Cubbies apparently. Didn't think rooting for a team would cause their curse to rub off on me. I just wanted somewhere simple, normal, somewhere the closed at eight pm every night. I don't know where the bomb came from, but I know I wouldn't even know where to start when it comes to making a bomb Detective."

"How did you know that it was going to go off before it did?"

Casey opened her eyes and shook her head, "I don't know, does it really matter?"

Rebecca spoke up, "It doesn't. No one died, and all that was lost were things."

"And some much loved skin."

Rebecca smiled at her friend and Frank grumbled, but after one last look at the woman in bed, left. Rebecca sighed and patted Casey on the hand. "Are you going to stay here?"

"No."

"Do you have somewhere to go?"

"No."

"Stay with us."

Rebecca turned and Casey looked up, "Olivia, right?"

Olivia nodded as Casey shook her head from side to side, "Thank you for the offer, but half the town thinks I blew up Company. I'll find somewhere to stay, don't worry."

Olivia shrugged, "For the record, I don't believe that you were anything but a hero in there. Now I can tell Natalia I tried."

Both Rebecca and Olivia stared at the woman in the bed as she laughed, "Man are you gone woman. Totally gone."

Olivia frowned, "How'd you know? Blake told you? Or Frank?"

Casey chuckled and Rebecca hit her on the shoulder. "What? NO, no one told me, I think it was the way Natalia hovered while you tried talkin' to me. Like you're not the... 'sensitive chat' one in the relationship."

"The what?"

Rebecca gave Casey another shove, "The nothing. Casey is just making a reference to a cult show that has been off the air for eight years now."

Casey rubbed at her arm, "Ow."

Olivia stared at Casey for one last moment and then shrugged, adjusting her purse on her shoulder. "Well, I tried, and now I'm going to be late for my meeting. If you ever need anything." A card appeared in Olivia's hand and she handed it to Casey. "I'm not the Spauldings, or even the Coopers, but I'm not without a bit of pull in Springfield. Half the town lives in my hotel."

With that, she left the room. Casey frowned, "Spauldings, Coopers?"

Rebecca tilted her head to one side, "Will you stay until at least this afternoon?" Casey narrowed her eyes at her friend, then finally nodded. "Good, now this is all from Rabbi Bachman."

oOOOOo

Olivia stepped out of her car and tensed up. "Phillip." She didn't feel the need to shoot the man, which she saw as progress. "I have a meeting."

"Where's my daughter? With Natalia?" Olivia ran a hand through her hair as Phillip continued, "I could have pushed through at the hospital, or, or..."

"She's at school."

Phillip frowned, "You made her go to school?"

Olivia managed to be aghast and pissed at the same time. "Of course not Phillip. She wanted to."

"I'd... I'd like to see her. Please. I'm not bartering, I'm not... I'm just asking, father to mother. I'd like to see my daughter." Olivia was silent. It stretched out. The cars whizzing by on the street. The birds cheeping and the tree's leaves rustling. "You can be there, Natalia, Jane, the National Guard, anyone... Please, let me see for myself that she's okay."

"After school. At the farmhouse, it can't be long. I have to pick up Ava at the airport after that, and then..." She took shallow breaths and put a steadying hand on her car. "And then three million other things. But, yes, after school at the farmhouse."

Phillip frowned and reached towards Olivia. She took a step back and Phillip let his hand drop, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Either be there, or don't." She pushed off the car and brushed by Phillip.

oOOOOo

"What do you have Mallet?"

He handed Frank a sheaf of paper. "She goes where she's needed, sort of. Most often she's a cook, or in construction, though she's also been a bike messenger, circ tech, bartender, dealer in Vegas."

Frank looked up, "You're kidding me."

"Those were the ones she did above board anyway. No criminal record though."

"Juvenile?"

"They're sealed." Frank glared at Mallet, "I'm working on finding out what if anything's in them. Frank..."

Frank was in his own zone, "Anything about the bomb?"

"Not..." An officer handed Mallet a folder. He didn't get a chance to open it before Frank grabbed it and sat. "...yet. What did they find?"

"Complex. It was complex, not done by an amateur. Has she ever worked with explosives? In her construction jobs, or... anywhere?"

Mallet flipped through his information, "Never, strictly a builder, not a destroyer. Anything else?"

Frank looked up and let a breath out that he seemed to have been holding since Company had exploded. "Do you really think someone else did this Mallet?"

"I think we need to find who did it, and who was the target. Maybe it will be Casey, maybe not. You okay Frank?"

Frank sighed, "No, no I'm not."

oOOOOo

"Buzz."

Buzz glanced around the small office. "This is the office of the great Olivia Spencer, I remember it being bigger."

"She redid the whole main floor. Lost space in here because of it, we get by."

Buzz came all the way in, "If you have any, I need tables, and food, or maybe a kitchen."

Natalia paused what she was doing and looked up at the eldest Cooper. "Excuse me?"

Buzz nodded, "We need to have a proper memorial service."

"Buzz, everyone survived."

"For Company."

"Oh. Outside, adjacent to the... hole?"

Buzz shrugged, "Somewhere near where Company was, yes."

"Will there be Buzz burgers?"

Buzz turned as Olivia entered and put her things down. "I'd need a kitchen."

Olivia gestured towards the door, "Justus likes you more than he likes me anyway Buzz."

Buzz stopped in the doorway and put a hand on Olivia's arm. "Will you be there?"

Olivia looked over and met Natalia's gaze before she nodded. "Yeah, yes, we will."

"Good... good..."


	4. Chapter 4

"Do I need a lawyer?"

Frank was already mentally tired and it wasn't yet three o'clock in the afternoon. He didn't need Alan Spaulding's crap. "Do you think you need a lawyer Alan?"

Mallet moved between the Cooper and Spaulding. "We're just trying to figure out why someone put a bomb in Company. Why someone blew up the place that no one hated that much."

"I was here all day, more than one person will be able to verify that. Yesterday I had a meeting at 11:30, and one at 2:15. Would you like the names of those who were there?"

Mallet glanced over his shoulder at Frank, who stayed uncharacteristically silent. "Not at the moment. Have you been to Company recently?"

Alan thought for a moment before answering, "Two days ago, I was verbally abused, yet again, by one of you Coopers. When you speak, you all meld together. I haven't had the urge to face that since then. Buzz's burgers aren't that good. Is that all? I have a busy schedule."

Frank finally spoke up, "For now." Mallet looked up at his father-in-law, surprised, but went along with him. "And if you're planning on taking a trip, try to aim for countries with extradition treaties with us."

Without another word Frank strode from the room, followed closely by Mallet. Neither man quite breathed freely until they were out of the Spaulding house. "You think he hired someone to blow up Company? But why?"

Frank shook his head and looked back at the mansion. "Why do any of the Spauldings do anything."

oOOOOo

Rafe stood in the doorway of Olivia's office at the Beacon and simply watched his mother work. It was a couple of minutes before he finally spoke, "You look happy Ma... at work."

Natalia looked up with a frown at her son, "You're not in class."

Rafe rolled his eyes at his mother as he stepped into the office. "It was an early one Ma, and today's my one class day, I'm not skipping, and I don't have work again until tomorrow. I was just on my way home." A smile sprang to Natalia's face and Rafe groaned, "Ma... uhghhh... I was on my way to the farmhouse."

Natalia started to respond when Olivia's cell rang. Natalia frowned at the Caller ID. "Hello." She listened. "Yes, yes, this is Natalia. She is. Yes, yes, someone will be right over to get her. Thank you so much for calling." She hung up and stood halfway up, and then sat back down with an 'oof'. "I need, but... and then..."

"Slow down Ma. It's Emma?"

Natalia stood again. "She's sick at school, but I have a conference call in ten minutes that we've already pushed twice, and Olivia is at lunch with... someone, I don't... she's throwing up, doesn't feel well."

Rafe put a hand on his mother's shoulder. "I'm approved right, for the pick up after school or whatever. I'll go, get'er, take her ho... take her to the farmhouse, tuck'er in, hold her hair back as she gives back her lunch, whatever."

Natalia was still halfway between sitting and standing, "You don't have homework?"

"What, am I in fifth grade or somethin'. Trust me Ma, taking Emma home from school won't impact my studies. Then, you don't have to use the eyes on Liv when you miss your conference call."

"Use my..." She gave him a gentle shove, "Go, go before I change my mind Raphael."

Rafe chuckled as he left his mother in the office, shaking her head at her offspring.

oOOOOo

Mallet was back at the Spaulding mansion and he wasn't thrilled about it. "What do you want Alan?"

Alan was in full Spaulding mode. He was back in his study, his son Phillip and their ex-wife Beth was also there. "Ah, I understand, I am not a Cooper, Lewis, or even a Spencer-Rivera, or will it be Rivera-Spencer. I am simply a Spau..."

"Shut up Alan." Beth addressed Mallet. "He was shot at, I was there."

Mallet tasted the words on his tongue, "Shot at. With bullets?"

"Of course with bullets you..."

"Alan.."

Mallet was only a bit surprised when Alan actually listened to his ex-wife. The Detective turned to Phillip. "And you're here?"

Phillip shrugged, "To assert that I didn't do it? I need to go anyway, I have a... I'm seeing Emma this afternoon."

All of Mallet focused on Phillip, the case forgotten. "Does Olivia know?"

"Yes."

Mallet nodded, "Good. Did you see this alleged shooting?"

Phillip shook his head, "No, but, do you really think that Beth would lie for my father these days?"

"Good point. Alan, Beth, would you show me where it happened?"

Beth gestured towards the door, "We were outside."

oOOOOo

"Drink."

Emma pouted from the couch. "But Rafe..." Rafe stared at the young girl he thought of as his little sister from a chair he had pulled up to the coffee table. Emma finally sighed and took a drink of water from the glass on the end table. "Is it my turn?"

"Yep, so, what's it gonna be little lady? Can ya stay in the kitchen, can ya stand the heat."

Emma giggled and then pushed five M&Ms into the pot. "I... call?" Rafe nodded, "Your two M&Ms and raise you three more."

"Wow, gettin' very rich. Are you ready for the River?"

Emma nodded, "It's the... the flop, that's the five of diamonds, ace of hearts, and jack of diamonds. And then the turn, the king of clubs."

Rafe put on card to the side and dealt the river. "A three of clubs. Does that help you?"

Emma frowned, "I'm not supposed to te..." Her eyes got large, "Rafe..." With one motion Rafe stood and was at her side with the barf bucket he'd found in the basement and washed.

She was done soon after she started. Rafe carefully put aside the bucket and wiped off Emma's face gently. The young Spencer curled into Rafe. He looked down at her and after a moment put his arms around her. He bit his lip as she spoke, "I love you Rafe." He didn't know what to say, so he just rubbed circles on her back. He had never in his wildest dreams pictured his life as it was. Going to college, living at home with his mom and her... whatever she and Olivia were together. Girlfriend seemed like it wasn't a strong enough word, but they weren't wife and wife yet, and he wasn't even going near the word lover.

He shuddered, but stopped as Emma snuggled closer. He felt Emma's breathing slow and even out. He carefully flipped over her two cards. He laughed, careful not to bump or wake Emma. "Two aces. Beats my queen jack." He shook his head and looked down at Emma again, "Beginner's luck is alive and well."

It was only five or so minutes later that Olivia entered the farmhouse. She smiled at the scene and then saw the cards on the table. "Raphael Rivera, you're teaching my young daughter poker?"

"Uh... uh, actually, she was schooling me."

Olivia sat on the couch and took Emma into her arms. The young girl was so tired she barely stirred. "That sounds more like my daughter." Rafe stood, "But I wouldn't recommend having the cards still out when Phillip gets here."

"He doesn't like poker?" Rafe started to clean up the cards.

"I'd guess he wouldn't appreciate his young daughter playing poker."

Rafe rubber banded the cards and gathered up the M&Ms, popping a couple in his mouth. "And you?"

She looked between Emma and Rafe. "Was she having fun?"

Rafe nodded a bit hesitatingly, "I didn't teach her strategy or anything, just the rules, the types of hands, which hand wins over what, and the basics of betting. But, she's smart, really, really smart."

Olivia glanced at the sole M&M left on the table, "Did she eat anything?" Rafe shook his head, "Drink anything?"

"Some water, but..." He picked up the barf bucket and wrinkled his nose, it was a bit ripe. "I guess it came back up. We didn't have any ginger ale or anything."

"Natalia is getting some. Fever?"

"98.8. The nurse said that stuff is goin' around, and that a Derek had been sick a couple of days ago?"

Olivia nodded, "Her best friend at school." Rafe turned to go to the kitchen and winced, putting a hand to his side. "Are you okay?"

Rafe sighed, "Yeah, yeah, it's just a bad insertion, I have to change tonight anyway. The Doc said I needed more fat on me."

Olivia smiled, "Don't hear the Doctors saying that every day. How's your A1C?"

"You sound like my mother."

Olivia winced at Rafe disappeared into the kitchen. She listened as he cleaned the bucket and then re-appeared with it. "Sorry about that Rafe. It's none of my business."

Rafe slumped back into the chair across from Emma and Olivia. "Nah, it's okay. It's sorta weird, 'cause for my whole life I've only ever had Ma, but you're... I don't know." He smirked, "You're... personable. I can see why you were married so many times. All rough on the outside, all tough and kick butt-ish, but sorta soft and gooey on the inside, just want someone to love ya and put up with ya."

"There will be no number seven."

Rafe tilted his head to one side, "Damn straight."

"Raphael."

Rafe winced and spoke without looking up, "Sorry Ma."

"Would you give me a hand with the groceries young man?"

Olivia frowned, "You did all the shopping?"

Natalia shrugged, "I was there. Rafe..."

Rafe popped to his feet as Natalia left the room. "Comin' Ma..." He was almost out of the room when he turned. "It was 6.5 again, never been over that yet. Which, considering that when I was diagnosed my levels were up in the thousands..." He paused, "With your heart. You sometimes ignore my Ma. Listen to her. She's the reason I'm not gonna lose my eye sight, toes, internal organs and all that good stuff before I can even drink. Listen to her."

oOOOOo

"I'm coming, I'm coming, if you're cute, don't leave, otherwise, keep your hat on I'm on crutches, I'm coming."

Casey did as she was told and Ashlee finally pulled the door open. "Hello."

"Wow, your face looks so much better with the bandage instead of hanging there like grated cheese. Are you okay?"

Casey glanced though the door, "I am. I just wanted to make sure you were okay as well. I'll..."

"Do you want to come in? Casey?"

Casey paused, "Uh, sure. Sure." She stepped in and closed the door. "Broken ankle?"

Ashlee sighed and nodded, "Yeah, lots of fun, but, I shouldn't complain, right."

Casey gestured to the rest of the room, "Feel free. When life sucks, complaining helps you not... go out and get drunk, or pick fights, or just generally screw over your life. Don't let me stop you from complaining."

Ashlee faced Casey, "Do you regret it? You're probably gonna have a scar, you don't even know any of us."

Casey shrugged, "I didn't think about it too much. And, I have other scars, you just can't see them." She put a hand to the gauze on her face, "May I make an observation?"

Ashlee sat on the couch, swinging her cast up onto the coffee table with a clank. "Sure. Some deep, inspirational piece of information?"

"Not... not quite. You're using your crutches wrong. It may feel good now, but your pits are gonna hurt like hell before soon. If you use your triceps, your arm muscles, not let the crutches rest on your arm pits it'll hurt some, but it'll get better."

"Triceps of steel?"

Casey inclined her head, "Sure, sure."

There was a knock on the front door. Ashlee looked at it longingly. Casey spoke, "Want me to get that?"

"I would owe you even more if you did."

Casey walked to the door, "No worries." She opened it.

The tall woman on the other side took a step back. "Oh, hello. I was looking for Ashlee." Casey stepped to one side as Dinah came in, "Have to make sure my favorite employee is alright."

"I thought I was the irreplaceable employee?"

Dinah smiled, "That too." She turned to Casey. "Dinah Marler."

"Casey Jones."

Ashlee chimed in, "She saved my life."

"Then I own you thanks. You were also the one who saved Nat and Emma?"

"Yes."

"Busy day."

Casey shook her head, "I guess. I'll leave you two alone, I need to find somewhere to hang my hat."

"How 'bout here? Doris has like, extra rooms around here somewhere. You can be my human buffer."

Dinah chuckled, but Casey frowned, "That's okay, I'll find..."

"Please. We're not the, pinnacle of mother daughter relationships, you need somewhere to stay. You can make sure I keep crutchin' right."

Casey frowned at the young adult, "The SFPD thinks I'm the one that blew up Company, and yet you're inviting me into your home on behalf of... the Mayor?"

Dinah spoke up, "Do you need clothes too?" She flicked at Casey's threadbare shirt, "I have some jeans and shirts that I was gonna donate to goodwill, they may fit you, I can drop 'em off tonight if you'd like." She looked Casey up and down, "Somehow I think I'll still give the skirts and blouses away."

Casey glanced between the two women and shook her head, "This town is crazy."

oOOOOo

It was Natalia who answered the door when Phillip arrived. "She's upstairs in bed. She came home sick, but..." A smile that was mostly tired with not much happy came Natalia's face. "When Olivia told her you were coming... she wanted to see you."

Phillip raised his eyebrows, "Alone?"

"Don't screw this up Phillip. It's not just about you, it's about her too." Phillip looked up and over Natalia's shoulder at Olivia, who was staring at her ex-husband.

Phillip nodded as he responded to his ex-wife. "I... of course not."

Olivia grabbed her jacket and on her way by, captured Natalia's lips in a kiss. "Rafe's in the kitchen." She gave Phillip a stare that told the Spaulding that the statement was for his benefit. Then she was out the door.

Phillip cleared his throat, "Picking up Ava?"

Natalia stared at the door, and then managed to pull herself back to reality. "Yes. Don't take too long up there..."

Phillip nodded as he disappeared up the stairs.

Rafe came into the living room as Natalia started to sway on her feet. "Whoa, Ma." He led her to the couch, "You okay Ma?"

"I... I need a vacation."

Rafe laughed, "It's called a Honeymoon Ma."

"No, no, we..."

"Oh, yes, yes you two. At least a weekend Ma." Rafe put an arm around his mother. "Stop movin' for a minute Ma. Nothing bad will happen. You wanna come with me to the Company Memorial?"

"No, you should go, but I'm going to stay with Emma. There's something..."

Rafe stood and sighed, "She's fine Ma. She just picked up a bug at school, it's what happens."

Natalia wasn't going to be placated, "Look, Rafe, the last time I had this feeling, you were diagnosed with diabetes. Something is wrong, it sounds... something is wrong."

oOOOOo

"The bullet's with the Forensic guys."

Frank shook his head, "Someone blows up Company, and the next day someone shoots at Alan?" Mallet's silence stretched and finally Frank answered the unasked question. "C'mon Mallet, you know me better than that. And I came straight back here to see if we'd gotten Casey's Juvie records yet."

"You were angry Frank, in a way that I've never seen you. And you weren't thinking straight."

Frank shook his head, "Check with Chief Wolfe. I was in his office getting talked at about something or other. Right after I got back he dragged me in there before I could even pee."

"See, now that's a good alibi. Chief Wolfe wouldn't cross the street for any of us. So, was Casey an angel as a child."

"Not quite, no. From thirteen to fifteen she was in Juvie."

"What happened at fifteen?"

Frank sighed and handed the file to Mallet, "Back to foster care. Had two DUIs just after she got her license, a couple of minor assault charges around then, though she never went back into Juvie. Then she aged out."

Mallet perused the file. "Since we didn't find anything in her adult record, do you think this makes her more or less likely to be the one who blew up Company?"

"I don't know. It does sort of look like she got her life in order doesn't it. Hey, are you coming to Pop's... Memorial service?"

Mallet nodded, "Wouldn't miss it. We'll all be there, I think most of the town will be."

Frank stood and pulled his jacket off his chair, "There's going to be karaoke."

Mallet paused mid motion, "You're kidding, please tell me you're kidding Frank."

"Mallet, I wish I were."

oOOOOo

"Oh, you.. you're in my house."

Casey stood from the couch, but didn't get to answer as Ashlee crutched into the living room. "I asked her to stay."

"Ashlee..."

Ashlee flopped onto the couch, "What? She needed somewhere to stay. And you have the guest room, in addition to the one I'm using down here and empty one upstairs." Ashlee shook her head and opened her book.

Casey looked between mother and daughter, "I'll find somewhere else."

Doris blew out a breath, "No, no, it's alright." She shot her daughter a look. "Will you be going to Buzz's memorial for Company. Ashlee and I will be..."

"No... no, no, no, I'm on crutches, c'mon."

Doris and Ashlee's gazes were locked in a duel, and Casey just stayed out of the line of fire and waited for it to be over. "I am the Mayor, you are my daughter. We are going." Ashlee groaned as Doris turned to Casey. "You're welcome to come along as well."

"Will I get stoned."

"Because I have let you in my house I'm going to assume you mean the hard rock, and not weed." Doris was silent for a moment before she continued, "Hate and Love go hand in hand in this town. I'd say, no... well, unless you're planning on taking out the rest of the town while they're all in one place."

Casey shrugged, "Not on my current itinerary, no. Free food, half the people there will think I did it. What the hell, sounds like fun."


	5. Chapter 5

Rafe was stunned by what he saw when he got out of his car. To one side there was the hole that had been Company, but beyond that the sky was lit up like day. A gigantic bonfire burned. Scattered around it were a mish mash of different tables, round, square, rectangular. Buzz had to have hit up not only the Beacon, but every church and community organization in Springfield.

But, he was the one person in Springfield who could have successfully pulled together such disparate people. He was the glue that kept the often boiling angry town together. That was obvious by who was there. Spauldings, Rafe saw Lizzie and Bill off to one side at a round table talking to each other. They made a disgustingly happy married couple. Phillip, Beth were off to the other side, talking with, of all people, Alan.

Lewises. At a long table nearer to the bonfire Billy and Josh sat laughing with Matt Reardon, Reva and Vanessa.

Coopers of course, though most of them had been drafted by Buzz to help with the serving and monitoring of everyone, but Rafe could see Marina sitting across from of all people Alexandra Spaulding, who was bouncing little Henry on her knee. Children bring the world together and all that crap Rafe guessed.

Dinah, Shane, Rick, Casey and Doris sat at another table with a glaring Ashlee and a laughing Mel. An odd conglomeration of old, Marler, Bauer, Lewis, and new, Boudreau, Wolfe, and whoever Casey Jones was.

"Hmmm..."

"Hmmm what?"

Rafe nearly swallowed his tongue. "I... just people watching."

The dark skinned young woman held out her hand and Rafe shook it. "Lea Bauer. You new?"

"Compared to most of the people in this town. Yeah. Raphael Rivera."

"Ah..." Leah smiled a smile that nearly blinded Rafe it was so dazzlingly beautiful. "The bad boy who went to jail for shooting Jeffery O'Neill, right." She threaded her arm through Rafe's. "So, Raphael, college?"

Rafe nodded, "Yep, a Freshman. Got my GED in prison. You?"

"Also a Freshman. I hope to be a journalist."

They bumped and jostled through the tables and people. "Not a Doctor like your father, or a lawyer like your Mom?"

"They think. I like to write. How 'bout you Raphael?"

Rafe shrugged, "Not sure yet. Never really believed I'd get this far."

They got in line for food. "Where's your twenty-first century family."

"The Spaulding part? Or maybe the Aitoro part, or the Riveras, or perhaps the Spencers?" Leah laughed, lighting up her whole being again and Rafe couldn't help but smile himself. "Uh, they're... Ma and Liv are home with Em, she's sick with something."

"That's too bad. I heard Buzz was going to have Karaoke."

"Nice." Rafe took a burger, "I'll get to do my famous Billie Jean."

"Michael Jackson?"

"My moonwalk is legendary."

Leah laughed.

oOOOOo

It was disgusting. Everyone coming together. Laughter, happiness, joy, camaraderie. Company had been blown up. Where were the accusations, the pain, the suffering. Frank had been so close, he'd almost killed the woman, Casey. She was a variable, though not a bad one if she kept looking as guilty as she did. But variables didn't matter. The plan worked just as well when everyone survived as if they died.

It would have been easy to use the gathering. But, this wasn't fun if it was easy. Later tonight would be soon enough. Let them heal a little bit, then rip the scab off nice and painfully, over, and over, and over.

oOOOOo

"Where's Colin?"

Reva pried her gaze from where everyone was cooing over Henry. "Home, with Jeffery. He's feeling a little under the weather. Colin, not Jeffery. How are you doing?"

"Marina came to see me. Wanted to get everything started on rebuilding."

Reva frowned, "Will you? If this was Edmund, you'd be stepping into the line of fire."

"He wouldn't do this."

Reva glanced over at Buzz. "I was going to be there Joshua. I was meeting Big Colin to talk about a fundraising event we're planning."

Josh started to stand, but was stopped by Reva's hand on his arm. "Josh, I didn't say anything because I agree with you, eh wouldn't go this far just to get at me or my family."

"Reva, he's a psycho."

Reva nodded, "Yes, but he's a high functioning one, he know that he hits the Beacon, or Towers, or pretty much anywhere in Springfield, there's anger, but he destroys Company..." She gestured to everyone, "There are people here from around the Country who came back just for Buzz. There are people here I haven't seen in decades. Eleni Andros, Sonni Carrera, Vicky Spaulding, Claire Ramsey, heck, our daughter Marah's here."

Josh seemed to still want to stand, but after Reva let go of his arm he slowly sat back. "Even Harley came back. I was pretty sure we'd never see her in Springfield again."

Reva watched Harley rock little Henry, "She's been hurt pretty bad in Springfield. I can see why she stayed away."

oOOOOo

"You are gonna be a heart breaker, yes you are Mini-Cooper."

Harley turned as Rafe chuckled, "Gotta remember that one."

"Rafe." She started to go in for a hug, but Henry chose that moment to yell that he wanted someone else.

Rafe smiled, "Let's see. Great Aunt Harley?"

Harley handed Henry to his Grandpa Frank, who inclined his head at Rafe and wandered away. Harley hugged Rafe close and took a step back. "I think we'll stick with just Aunt. How are you Rafe?"

"I'm okay. Still hurts, but... it will always. How are Jude and Zach?"

Harley smiled, "Growing like weeds. And I heard that you got yourself a family."

"For what it's worth."

Harley's smile turned to a frown, "You want me to do something about Spencer? I'm very resourceful."

"No, no... My Ma's happy again, which I didn't think would ever happen. And Emma..." Harley chuckled, "What?"

"Your face lit up like a demented lightning bug Rafe."

Rafe shrugged, "She's very smart, probably smarter than I am. And she's been through a hell of a lot." He shrugged again, "She was like a little sister before she was going to become my little sister."

Harley glanced around, "Where is your new family?"

"Home with Emma. She came home sick from school and Ma's freaking out." Rafe glanced to one side, "I... uh, I'll see you later."

Harley's gaze followed Rafe's and she hid a smile, "Of course. It was good to see you Rafe." They hugged again and she watched as Rafe made his way to Leah, who was flanked by Rick and Mel.

oOOOOo

"You are not going to date my daughter, you, you...."

Rafe's mouth opened and closed, and opened again. "Doctor Bauer..."

Rick burst out laughing, Leah hid her face behind her hands and Mel just shook her head. Rick patted Rafe on the back, "So... Buzz is looking for a couple of sacrifical lambs to sing first. Want to give it a whirl, my future son-in-law?"

Rafe's voice went up an octave, "Son-in-law?"

Rafe shot Leah a look as Rick dragged him up towards the Karaoke machine. Leah turned to Mel, "Mom..."

Mel put an arm around her daughter, "Let your father have his fun."

oOOOOo

"Too quiet. She's too quiet."

"Natalia... She's asleep."

They were on the couch. Natalia had pulled a baby monitor from some box or other and it sat on the coffee table staring back at both of them. Silent. Olivia watched the late news while Natalia's entire body seemed to be focused on the monitor. "Aren't you worried?"

Olivia pulled herself away from the news, it was all bad anyway. "Nat... there is never a moment in any day when I am not worried about Emma. It is all about levels."

"Oh... I, I didn't know that."

Olivia shrugged, "Yes, well, I don't let it get around. People think I'm crazy already."

Natalia turned and glanced at the stairs, "I'm going to check on her." She grasped Olivia's hand and the older woman looked over, "And every moment of every day I worry about you, Emma, and Rafe too. You're not crazy." With that, she gave the stunned Olivia a kiss and went up stairs.

oOOOOo

Buzz watched the crowd. They were having fun. That was good. He sat. He was tired. It didn't matter that he hadn't owned the place anymore, Company and Buzz Cooper were the same. You pricked one, the other bled. He hadn't seen Olivia or Natalia and hoped that everything was okay. He would never admit it to anyone, but he still loved Olivia Spencer. Not in the way he had during their passionate, complicated affair, but at odd times, she would just pop into his head, and not in a bad way either.

Lillian was the one who figuratively pulled him from his reverie, while literally pulling him to his feet. "They're trying to get Doris to do The Weather Girls."

Buzz frowned as he was dragged to the front, "Wait, what?"

When they got to the front of the crowd Doris was having none of it. "What could anyone think they could say to get me behind that monitor..... singing...."

Buzz plastered on a smile, "Consider it part of your upcoming mayoral campaign, community outreach, unless you can't read."

"You mean your campaign?"

Buzz held his hands up, "'It's Raining Men' is a song that would never cause you to lose votes." He glanced around, "You need a partner in crime though." His eyes stopped, and twinkled evilly. "Casey right, can you sing?"

"Nope."

Marina helpfully pushed Casey forward, "See, perfect."

"Buzz..."

Buzz gave the Mayor a narrow eyed look, "Who's establishment was just blown into a million little pieces? Just sing the song Doris."

Doris let out a measured breath, shook her head and gripped Casey by the upper arm, dragging her along. "When I find who blew up Company, I'm gonna kill 'em myself."

In the crowd Rafe stood between Ashlee and Leah. Ashlee looked terrified, while Leah looked quite amused. At least it wasn't her father up there anymore. Ashlee, though, couldn't believe it. "Oh, oh, oh, this is not gonna be good. No it is not."

There was total silence as the two women started the song, both were staring intently at the monitor with the words on it, and both had frowns on their face. Doris started, while Casey chimed in at the right places. Neither had the best voice, though they could both sing with the music, weren't monotone, which was an improvement over the previous two singers, Shane and Josh.

"Hi - Hi! We're your Weather Girls - Ah-huh -  
And have we got news for you - You better listen!  
Get ready, all you lonely girls  
and leave those umbrellas at home. - Alright! -

Humidity is rising - Barometer's getting low  
According to all sources, the street's the place to go  
'Cause tonight for the first time  
Just about half-past ten  
For the first time in history  
It's gonna start raining men."

It was Casey who put a hand to her mouth and started turning red she was laughing so hard. Doris looked over and gave Casey a shove in the side.

"It's Raining Men! Hallelujah! - It's Raining Men! Amen!  
I'm gonna go out I'm gonna let myself get absolutely soaking wet!"

It was only after another poke in the gut that Casey came back in, singing again, without using the prompter so much.

"It's Raining Men! Hallelujah!  
It's Raining Men! Every Specimen!  
Tall, blonde, dark and lean  
Rough and tough and strong and mean.

God bless Mother Nature, she's a single woman too  
She took on heaven and she did what she had to do  
She fought every angel and rearranged the sky  
So that each and every woman could find the perfect guy."

Casey gave a 'woo', throwing her hands into the air, and Doris laughed as they started the chorus, 

"It's Raining Men! Hallelujah! - It's Raining Men! Amen!  
It's Raining Men! Hallelujah!  
It's Raining Men! Ame---------nnnn!"

Casey started to sway, and after a moment, and narrowed eyes from Doris, she did too. A small smile started to form on her lips as she sang. She was having fun in front of the citizens of Springfield. Somewhere, someone could hear crinkling below them, hell was freezing over. 

"I feel stormy weather moving in, about to begin  
Hear the thunder, don't you lose your head  
Rip off the roof and stay in bed."

The whole crowd gasped when after 'lose your head', Doris threw her microphone to Casey and ripped off her fall jacket at the crescendo in 'rip off the roof and stay in bed'. Sending it onto the head of a stunned Buzz Cooper. He pulled it off as quickly as he could, not wanting to miss a second of the show. He hoped to God that someone was taping it too.

As for Doris' offspring, the only reason that Ashlee was still standing was that Rafe had a hand around her waist, holding onto the blonde for dear life. Her mouth was the perfect shape of an 'O', and if there hadn't been so much fire around, she would have been collecting quite a few bugs for her trouble.

Casey handed Doris both their microphones, and yanked an unsuspecting Buzz Cooper until he was in between them. 

"God bless Mother Nature, she's a single woman too  
She took on heaven and she did what she had to do  
She fought every angel and rearranged the sky  
So that each and every woman could find her perfect guy  
It's Raining Men! Yeah!"

He looked out at his fellow townspeople, he wasn't getting a rescue from any of them because most were laughing too hard. Doris and Casey had him squarely between them, and were definitely not looking at the monitor anymore. He was starting to wonder why he'd busted their chops as both of them... danced against him.

"Humidity is rising - Barometer's getting low  
According to all sources, the street's the place to go  
Cause tonight for the first time  
Just about half-past ten  
For the first time in history  
It's gonna start raining men.

It's Raining Men! Hallelujah! - It's Raining Men! Amen!"

As the song ended he slipped out from between the two women, "Uh, that was... that was... that..."

Both Doris and Casey were bent at the waist laughing, and laughing, as was a whole lot of the town. It was Reva who spoke from the front of the crowd, "That sucked ladies."

Everyone held their breath as Doris' laughter came to a stop. The Mayor met Reva's gaze and blinked, "You think?" She straightened up, and took her jacket from Frank. "Thank you Detective Cooper. Now, who's next."

She walked through the crowd, Casey not far behind her.

Buzz cleared his throat, once, twice. "Uh, yes, who's next. If our own, Honorable Doris Wolfe can do it, anyone can..."

oOOOOo

Josh paused and caught his breath. Reva laughed and put an arm around his waist. "Do I need to call 911 Joshua?"

Josh swallowed down the bitter taste in his mouth and stood up straight again. "No, no, just a cab. You... walked all the way from Cross Creek. What were you thinking?"

Reva glanced up at the starry sky. "How beautiful a day it was. The fact that I can." She put a hand through Josh's arm and they started walking again, "I wanted time to think, I don't get a lot of that at home with Jeffery and Colin. And I knew I wouldn't get it at the party, so I walked."

"You are a unique woman Reva Shayne, that's why I lo..." He trailed off, "I'm sorry."

Reva shook her head, "It's okay. I love you too Josh, but you know we're... sometimes we're better apart than together. We'll find you a very good woman though." Reva smirked, "If only that pesky Natalia Rivera hadn't taken Liv..."

"Oh..." He gave her a bit of a push, "Now I get to have Olivia, now that..." The rest of his sentence was cut off as he flew forward. Before Reva could turn she was also bashed into unconsciousness. But she was obviously not the target as the bat came down over and over and over on Joshua Lewis.

oOOOOo

Casey frowned as she closed the door of Doris' house. "Doris?"

"Up... upstairs."

Casey followed the voice up the stairs and to the main bedroom. She didn't even get two steps in when Doris melded their bodies together, taking possession of Casey's lips even as her fingers went to the younger woman's first button.

Casey came up for breath as Doris' hand pressed against her stomach, "What, what are..."

Doris took a step back, "Am I wrong?"

Casey brushed a lock of Doris' red hair back from her face, "No, no you're not."

"Good."


	6. Chapter 6

"Liv..."

"Oh heaven... what... what's wrong?" Olivia sat up in bed and rubbed at her eyes. "What happened, and why exactly are you laughing at me?"

Natalia smiled from the doorway, "Because you are very cute when you get woken up unexpectedly, all ruffled and..."

Olivia threw the covers off and stalked towards Natalia, who held her hands up, "Clothes, clothes..." She looked over her shoulder, and then back to Olivia. "Not that I wouldn't...." She sighed, "Love..." She searched with her hand for something, anything, never taking her eyes off of Olivia. "Clothes, if not for the children, my impressionable son, than for my... for my sanity." 

"What's gonna be is gonna be. I'm..." Olivia leaned down and kissed Natalia long and deeply, "...going to let it happen."

Natalia sighed, "With clothes..."

Olivia laughed and gave Natalia a gentle push, "Now shoo and I'll get dressed. You'll check on Emma?"

Natalia tilted her head to one side, "Already did, I think she finally got to sleep."

Olivia let out a deep breath, "Good, that's good. We'll get some food into her."

Natalia pointed at the hall, "I'm going to be out there... so that... well... hurry up and put on clothes Olivia Spencer..."

Olivia chuckled. It was only a few moments later that Olivia opened the door. "Is she up yet?"

Natalia smiled as Olivia joined her in the hallway, in clothes. "There was a grumble, yes. Takes after her mother."

Olivia rolled her eyes as they pushed open the door to Emma's room. "C'mon sleepy head. Time to face the day."

Emma mumbled something as Olivia pulled back the covers, "What did you... Oh my God."

"Mommy?"

Natalia and Olivia's eyes met, "Do you feel okay jellybean?"

Emma bit her lip, "A little?"

Olivia looked up, but Natalia was already gone from the room, "You're looking a little yellow today, now, on a bumble bee that's good. On you... we're going to take a trip to Cedars okay? Get you checked out by Uncle Rick and made human color again?"

Emma didn't look scared, but she didn't look quite at ease either. Primarily she looked tired. "My tummy hurts."

Olivia picked Emma up from the bed with a wince, "Remember to tell Uncle Rick that, okay?"

Natalia reappeared, "Everything's off, put away, I have the car keys, and I woke Rafe up and told him what's happening. We're ready to go."

oOOOOo

She was naked, not a bad thing, but as Doris woke up fully, she realized, she was at home, a home in which her daughter was currently also residing. Her daughter who definitely did not know she was a lesbian.

She was also alone in her bed, which was a definite change from the night before when she and Casey.

She stopped the thought before it could bloom and spread its seeds. She needed to leave Doris Wolfe mode and get into her Mayoral persona. The person who was straight as a one dollar bill, the mother of Ashlee, the bitch (now that Olivia had been softened by Natalia) of Springfield.

She slowly got ready for work. Teeth, shower, clothes, shoes. It was all rote. Her wardrobe that she had plotted and worked out so that it was perfect. Authoritative, but not enough that she wasn't approachable. And colorful so as not to come off as dull, but not flamboyant either. It was as she was putting on her perfect makeup that she smelled it.

Coffee.

She kept telling herself that it was her daughter that had made it. Ashlee. Doris wasn't really surprised when she walked into her kitchen and it was Casey sitting there though. "Uh, hello."

Casey looked up, "Mornin'. I... ironically, I'm great at lunch and dinner, but suck at breakfast, so. Coffee. Hope it's okay, I brought in the Wall Street Journal."

Doris blinked, slightly stupefied, "Uh... you read it?"

Casey shrugged, "I have before. Marketplace, Personal Journal, the Tech Guy's columns. I like their new Sports page. But do I read it for what the markets are doing and that garbage... Nah. Buncha crap, if I wanted to gamble with stuffed shirts who have no legs in reality I'd go back to Vegas."

"Oh."

"You're weirded out by what happened last night, you didn't seem like a first timer, but..." Casey stood, "I'll go."

Doris shook her head and snapped out of her funk, going to the coffee maker and pouring herself a cup. "No..." She took a long, steadying sip. "It's not that. I..." She glanced at the doorway to the living room. "Ashlee doesn't... know... no one in town does."

Casey nodded, "Won't hear it from me. and I really should..."

"Stay. Ashlee seems to like you. Stay. I need to get to work anyway." Doris flashed her very best protective smile, "Run the town, maybe catch a bad guy or two..." She trailed off, "Stay."

"Thank you."

Doris shrugged and downed the last of her coffee. "Well, you should probably go with it while you can. This is not me. From my recent actions, I most likely have a tumor in the part of my brain that regulates caring, not caring." She was almost out the door when she turned, "Oh, and when it hits one p.m. and Ashlee's not awake, feel free to douse her with ice cold water."

oOOOOo

"You can't go in there ma'am."

Natalia didn't even realize the nurse's assistant was speaking to her until the woman put a hand on her shoulder and physically stopped her from entering Emma's room. Natalia turned, she was not in the mood, "Excuse me?"

"Only family."

Natalia carefully removed the woman's hand, "I am."

"No, you're not. The child's mother is already in there with her. So, if you'd like to wait."

"Miss. That is my child in there as well. I am not violent, I am a Christian woman, but, even the Christians had the Crusades, so don't mess with me. I could dig through everything I have with me right now, show you a piece of paper we still need because the state and country just have to label everything, but I'm not going to. I'm going to go in there, give the love of my life a kiss and hug MY scared daughter as hard as I can without breaking her and pray until my hands and feet bleed."

The assistant simply moved to one side as Natalia went by and entered the room.

oOOOOo

"What is that?"

Casey looked up from the piano. "Did I wake you, sorry about that."

"Whatever. What were you playing, I recognize it."

Casey stood and went over to the shelf to the left of the TV. She scanned it for a second before she took a box off of it and handed it to Ashlee. "The Muppet Show?"

Ashlee handed it back and Casey opened it. She looked at the disks and then the inner flap for a second before she selected one of the disks and put it into the DVD player. They both stood there as Casey whipped through the menus, and then fast forwarded through the episode until she got to what she was looking for. There was cheering to a black screen and then a dog at a piano appeared.

Casey put down the remote and just watched Ashlee watch the skit. At the end she had to sit down she was laughing so hard. "I didn't... can you play hatless, who wrote that, and then... Fozzie bear, I remember now. I used to watch this with Doris when I was a kid. I loved Fozzie and Kermit."

"Nah, Rowlf was the best. Henson, or whoever did it could fake playing the piano better than most people can actually play the piano. Okay, here's a test, how about this one..." Casey sat down and closed her eyes for a second. She started playing a simple note chord chord, note chord chord rhythm. "Cottleslon, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie. A fly can't bird, but a bird can fly. Ask me a riddle and I reply: 'Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston Pie.'" Casey stopped playing. "Uh, on the show, Rowlf sings it better."

Ashlee laughed, "Oh my God, I recognize that one too. I... Do you know all of them?"

Casey shrugged, "Pretty much. The music teacher let me stay after school until I just had, had to go home." She shrugged again, "There was a piano. Watch it the night before, then try to bang it out on the little spinet they had."

"Man, your life sucked huh?"

Casey chuckled, "Define sucked. It could have been worse, I never lived on the street. Seven out of eight of my foster homes were fine. Juvie was..." Casey quirked an eyebrow, "...an interesting experience. After all that I got to start new. Any time I want, I can pick up, no ties except the friends I choose to keep."

Ashlee sat down on the piano bench, and poked at the keys in no particular order. "Yikes, that sucks."

Casey shrugged as she stopped the DVD, "Yeah, well, believe me, my life could suck so much more, so, I'm not complaining."

oOOOOo

Frank watched as Mallet listened, and listened, and listened. Mallet opened his mouth to respond a couple of times, but it was obvious that he was not going to get a word in edgewise. Finally, the call ended. "Yes, yes Jeffery. Right after I hang up, yes..."

Mallet hung up and let his head drop to his desk. "Uh...."

"Let me guess. Reva didn't come home?"

Mallet nodded as he lifted his head and punched in a number from memory, "Rhoda... beautiful. I need a favor. Couple of people were walking home last night from the Company party, towards Cross Creek. They never made it. Could you get a couple of your guys who are out and about to do a little searchin'? Names, yep, Reva Shayne and Josh Lewis." Mallet smiled, "Thank you, thank you Rhoda... yep, I owe you one." He hung up, "They're just... they ran off together, Reva got sick of Colin and Jeffery and just decided to high tail it from Springfield with her ex, right?"

"Done it before."

Mallet nodded to himself, "Yeah, that's what happened. Crazy Reva, and heartsick Josh." He blew a breath out, "God I don't want to be the one to have to tell Marah and Shane that we've found Josh and Reva dead."

oOOOOo

"She needs a liver."

Olivia blinked slowly, "Excuse me?"

"What has she had to eat recently?"

"Uh..."

Natalia spoke up, placing a supportive hand on Olivia's back, "Yesterday morning Emma had some oatmeal, regular stuff. A turkey sandwich and chocolate milk with lunch. Nothing after that since she couldn't keep anything down. Nothing this morning. Uh, two nights ago we had pizza. And other than that, she's just had water and ginger ale."

Rick frowned in thought, "The same pizza?"

"No, two pies. One was cheese, for us, the other cheese and mushrooms and..."

He interrupted Natalia, "Mushrooms? Did you use your usual pizza place?"

"Yeah, Towne. It's the closest, we got it delivered."

"Same guy? Talbot?" Olivia and Natalia both nodded and Rick continued, "Would... I have an idea what's wrong, but is there any of Emma's pizza left?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow, "You're hungry?"

Natalia frowned, "Olivia..."

"Sorry, I... I'll get the pizza."

Natalia reached for Olivia's hand to stop her, but the older woman was too fast and was out the door at the end of the hallway before Natalia could collect herself, "Olivia..." Natalia put her hand to her head, "Uh, are they, uh, done with the tests, may I see Emma?"

Rick took Natalia's arm, "Of course, may I make a suggestion?"

"I'm not going to lie to her."

Rick shook his head, "Of course not. Get Phillip, Ava's in town, her, any family, friends too, everyone and their brother. We need to find a tissue match. She's going on the list, but a living donor that's a good match is better than a cadaver liver."

Natalia frowned, "What about Olivia?"

"Oh, she's not going into any sort of surgery."

"She'll still want to be..."

"Typed..." Rick sighed, "I know. Go sit with your daughter, she's been freaking out. It'll be okay."

Natalia took a deep breath in, centered herself, and nodded. "Oh-okay." She pushed through the door and swallowed down the lump that immediately formed in her throat. "Hey jellybean."

"Natalia...."

Natalia picked up Emma's hand. The young girl looked so small in the big hospital bed. "Your mom's just going home to..."

"Am... am I going to die?" 

Emma had started to hyperventilate. Natalia brushed Emma's bangs off her forehead and kissed it. "Take slow breaths kiddo. In and out, in and out."

Emma slowly came down from the state she'd been in. "I don't want to die."

Natalia closed her eyes for a moment. Her heart felt as though it was going to pop in her chest. She wanted to cry, or scream, or just curl into a ball in the corner. Instead she pushed it all down and opened her eyes. "Who's the strongest person you know Em?"

Emma swallowed, her eyes never left Natalia's face. "Mommy..."

Natalia smiled a smile that didn't reach her eyes, "And do you think that your Mom is going to let anything... anything take you away from her?"

"N-no..." Emma stared down at her feet under the covers, moving them to and fro. "Natalia... is-is it okay to call you Mama. Aunt Alex said I should never call anyone Ma, that it's... it's... unaccentable."

"Unacceptable?" Natalia's smile got all the way to her eyes, "You can call me Natalia, or Mama, or Ma, which, by the way is perfectly acceptable, or all three, or even 'hey you'." Emma laughed at that, and a little bit of the pressure in Natalia's chest went away. She tried to get her hand back from the young girl, but Emma wasn't going to let go. "Em, can I have my hand, just for a second."

"You're leaving?" Panic tinged her little voice.

Natalia pointed at Lillian, who stood at the door. "I will be talking to Lillian, won't even leave the room, I promise." Emma paused for a moment, but let go and Natalia met Lillian at the door. "Could you..."

"...call everyone I know and tell them to get their butts down here, I'll do one better. I'll call Buzz. May I... and can he tell people what's going on?"

Natalia stared back at Emma and nodded as she faced Lillian again, "Yes, yes, tell them... anything."

"Phillip?"

Natalia didn't pause before answering, "If he doesn't already know, yes, he's her father."

"Okay, okay." Lillian put a comforting hand on Natalia's arm, "It will turn out okay."

Lillian left Emma and Natalia alone in the room and was nearly run down by a gurney carrying Josh Lewis. "Oh, my..." She blinked, "Cyrus? What happened?"

Cyrus Foley shook his head, his accent seemed to be thicker as he spoke in a rush, "I don't know. They were on the side of the road, and I was driving by... I stopped, thought they were a couple of drunks that'd gotten too pissed and decided they couldn't make it back to their flat." He shook his head, "Never thought I'd know 'em."

oOOOOo

Mallet stood, swinging on his jacket, "Cyrus Foley just showed up at Cedars with Josh and Reva. Josh's barely hanging on, Reva's..."

Frank stood as well, "Already cursing out everyone, and trying to save the day as only Reva can. Cyrus huh?"

Mallet nodded, "Could it be that easy, retribution for whatever he believes happened to his brother Grady?"

Frank shrugged as they left the squad room, "People have gone on rampages for less."


	7. Chapter 7

Olivia couldn't move. She knew she had to, her daughter was counting on her, Natalia was counting on her, she was counting on herself, but she just couldn't. It was all too much.

Arms surrounded Olivia and she leaned back into them. A soft male voice spoke, "She'll be okay, and be the perfect flower girl for your wedding."

"Ava called you." 

"Yeah, your phone call freaked her out. 'Ava, Emma's in the hospital. Gotta go.'" Olivia turned in her brother's arms and buried her head in his shoulder. No tears came, she was past tears. She just sat there and held on for dear life to her brother.

Finally Sam groaned. He'd been crouched down for too long. Olivia let him go and he pulled over the other kitchen chair. He didn't let go of her hand though. "Why are you here big sis? Why aren't you with Em? You love that girl more than anything. Please, talk to me Liv."

Olivia sighed, "I was nothing before Emma. Gus' heart let me... finish my journey, but it started the second I saw Emma's face. Maybe even before that when I found out I was pregnant. To think that... Alan Spaulding... provided me with the best thing that's ever happened in my life. I went from just wanting, wanting, wanting things, to wanting to give Emma everything and anything she could ever want, even if that meant that I was poor and pathetic on the side of the road. What... what if?"

"Gah..." Sam tapped his older sister in the middle of her chest, "You've never given yourself enough credit. How 'bout when Marah was a teenager, you saved her from being raped. Or when you saved Harley, and despite what this... horrible town thinks, you are no different than any of them. None of the Coopers, or Lewises, or Shaynes are any better than you. Got that big sis."

He yanked his sister to her feet, "So, we're going to go back to the hospital, and we will deal with whatever crap Springfield throws at us, as a family."

"Wait."

"Liv.."

Olivia closed her eyes and shook her head, "No, the Pizza. I came home for the pizza. Rick thinks it has something to do with... everything."

"Then we'd better remember the pizza."

oOOOOo

Doris let her office phone ring, and ring, and ring. Her assistant was on vacation, and she hadn't gotten around to finding a temp. If it was important, they'd storm in here personally, otherwise, she was going to be depressed about her life and let it go to voicemail. Finally, it stopped ringing.

It was a short reprieve as her cell phone rang the beginning of Rex Tremendae. She stared at it for one ring, another, and then finally flipped it open. "Doris Wolfe." She closed her eyes, "Buzz, I... what? Buzz, I'm the Mayor, I can't just..."

Doris listened in silence as Buzz talked. She'd already decided to do as Buzz asked, but Buzz seemed to need to go off on her, so she let him. Her last night hadn't been awesome, but Buzz's last few days had been horrible too. Finally, she got bored, "Buzz, shut up for a second. I'll be there, I just have some things to finish here, I'll be there."

She listened for another moment to Buzz's good-bye and with a farewell of her own, hung up.

oOOOOo

"What are you doing back in Springfield Cyrus?"

Cyrus crossed his arms over his chest. It was only Frank and Cyrus in an empty exam room. "Cleaning out the last of my brother's things."

"How is Grady?"

Cyrus' lip curled, "You know he's not alive, not that any of Springfield's... boys in blue... care. You won't even tell me where the shallow grave is."

"It's an ongoing investigation Cyrus. So, you found Josh and Reva."

Cyrus leaned against the bed in the room. "So what Frank. You can check my rental's GPS, check the car in general, my person, my luggage. I didn't hurt them, I had no reason to hurt them."

"Cyrus."

Cyrus put a hand up, "I just want to get Grady's things and leave this wretched town far, far, behind. I'm here 'til tomorrow afternoon."

oOOOOo

"Natalia." Olivia was back in the hospital, and had handed off the pizza to Rick before she tracked down Natalia in the hospital's chapel.

Natalia stood and stalked down the aisle towards Olivia. She put a finger dead center on Olivia's chest. Her voice started at a normal volume, but by the end of her tirade, she was yelling so loud that even Lillian at the nurses' station could hear her. "You have to be there. It's not funny, it's not cute. I don't know what changed you, you're not a chicken shit, not the Olivia Spencer I know, I love. You fought for my son, you've taken on Alan Spaulding, Phillip, you've taken on at least 99% of this sorry town at one point or another, hell, you've taken on death and laughed at the bony fucker... twice. And this, this trips you... your daughter?" Natalia took a breath, she was getting light headed. "Your daughter is freaking out and God damnit if you aren't there for her, she WILL die." 

Her voice went from loud to nothing in less than a breath as she continued, "If you're not there, maybe I don't really know you."

Natalia gently pushed Olivia to one side and exited the chapel. Olivia didn't turn, didn't follow her, she barely breathed and didn't move at all.

oOOOOo

"Oh..."

Casey smirked and took a step back. Doris had plowed into her while intently staring at her smart phone. "You know, there are lots of better uses for your thumbs."

Doris frowned at the younger woman. "How old are you anyway, shouldn't you be the one with a phone surgically attached to your ear, or hands?"

Casey shrugged, "Here to get tested?"

Doris nodded, "I heard Phillip wasn't a match. I'd pay to see his reaction to that. Phillip Spaulding not able to help one of his daughters. Trust me, not a pretty sight." She glanced down at her phone as a text came in, and back to Casey. "Why are you here?"

Casey gestured to the front where Buzz, Ava, and Ashlee were standing. "I walked in the door of your house as your daughter was on the phone with Buzz, and she dragged me with her."

"You've gotten tested?"

"They're doing all their magic prognostication on my sample as we speak. And, by the death glare your daughter's giving you, I think you're up."

oOOOOo

"For-forgive me father, for I..." The tears she had been holding since that morning poured forth. Father Ray came out of his side of the confessional and led Natalia to a pew.

"What happened Natalia?"

Natalia shook her head as she wiped away the tears. She couldn't keep up. Finally she just spoke through them. "Her daughter is lying in a hospital bed dying and I... I swore at her, berated her, I walked out on her wh-wh-when she needs me the most."

"Did she deserve it?"

"Wh-what?"

"Did she need to hear what you had to say?"

"I..." Natalia sat totally silent. "I don't know."

Father Ray started over, "What happened?"

"Emma is very sick. Her liver... she needs a liver transplant because she's in, in liver failure. Olivia... she, she just left the hospital to get the pizza Emma ate. I... when she got back I lit into her. I-I..." Natalia stared at the ground under the pew. "I told her that if she wasn't there for Emma, that Emma'd die. How could I say that Father, it's... it's horrible." Natalia looked back up. "What should I do?"

"Go back to the hospital, talk to her, be with Emma."

"No, I mean."

Father Ray nodded, "I know what you meant Natalia." He put a hand on her shoulder, "This is not a time for Hail Mary's and candles."

Natalia colored a little, "I swore and took God's name in vain."

Father Ray had to bite his tongue so a single chuckle didn't escape. "After all this is done, after Emma is driving you up a wall recovering. After, I will hear your confession. Talk to her. Or, just be there with her."

oOOOOo

"Wow, you suck as a mother."

Olivia turned in the pew she'd installed herself in. "Marah?" Marah slid into the pew next to Olivia, bumping her in the process, "What are you doing here?"

"You weren't at the Company party huh?" Olivia shook her head, "Came over for that, to see my family... Got a call from the hospital this morning. My Mom and Dad are here."

Marah trailed off and pinched the bridge of her nose. Olivia put an arm around the younger woman. "Reva and Josh? What happened?"

Marah shook her head. "You just had to be here, I couldn't have just come into the chapel and... and..." Marah closed her eyes for a moment and a strangled cry came from her. She shrugged off Olivia's arm and slid to the end of the pew, as far away from Olivia as she could get. "Why are you being nice, I was only ever horrible to you, and you were only ever..."

"What... happened Marah?"

"Someone beat the living shit out of my Mom and Dad. My father..."

It didn't seem possible, but even more color drained from Olivia's face. "Josh?"

Marah wiped at her eyes and nodded, "He got the worst of it. No brain stuff they think, but so many broken bones that I zoned out halfway through the list."

"And Reva?"

"Mom just got a bash to the head. Mild concussion. What's your lame excuse. My Mom and Dad are adults and currently unconscious or asleep, but your kid is down the hall, probably begging for her mother. You suck as a mother."

"You don't..." There was no anger left in Olivia's body. "You don't know."

"They took my blood."

Olivia frowned over at her former step-daughter. "What?"

"Everyone in town is coming through the phlebotomist's rooms, seeing if they're a close enough tissue match so your daughter can live. So, see... you suck." She stood. "I need to get back to my Dad."

"I... once Emma's in surgery, may I... stop by his room?"

Marah paused, after a long few moments she finally shrugged. "Sure, why not."

oOOOOo

"Ava, take a breath, hey, Sam's here.."

Sam and Ava hugged like they were in the middle of a hurricane. Sam took step back, "She'll be okay. She has your resilience Ava."

Ava shook her head, "No, no, it's Mom's."

"So... where do they tell me the results of my blood stuff?"

A smile inched onto Ava's face, "Buzz and the nurse will help you... I'm... just the cheerleader, can't you tell."

Sam leaned down and kissed his nieces' cheek. "And a brilliant one you are. She'll be okay."

oOOOOo

Olivia looked up from the chair next to Emma's bed. No words were spoken as Natalia went to the opposite side. Olivia stood and put her hand on the pillow above Emma's sleeping head. There was not a moment's hesitation as Natalia gripped it. They stood there like that, both staring down at the young child who was still a yellowish hue.

It was Rick who broke their family time. "Natalia, Olivia..." They followed the Doctor out into the hall as Lillian went into the room. "Okay, my worst fear was right. Those four pieces of pizza she had... every one of the mushrooms on it were death caps." Natalia frowned as Olivia's free hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my God, no."

Natalia looked between Rick and Olivia, "What does that mean?"

Rick put down his clipboard, "The death cap mushroom is very poisonous. If... they've had success with alternative treatments, milk thistle, and the like, but that's when someone eats one while hiking or whatever, much less than Emma ate. Also, in Emma's case, the mushrooms have had too much time to wreak their havoc. She need's..."

He trailed off as a tech handed him a sheet of paper, "Oh..."

Olivia and Natalia's gazes glued themselves to Rick, "What is it?"

"The test... they found an amazing match for Emma."

Olivia let go of Natalia's hand and gripped Rick by the shoulders. "I will give him anything he wants, anythi..."

Rick shook his head, cutting off his friend, "That's illegal, and you don't have to, the person is in with the Psychiatrist already."

Natalia frowned, "Psychiatrist?"

Rick handed back the paper and the tech disappeared. "Uh, yes, there's a lot of risk involved for the live donor. More if you consider the fact that the donor is voluntarily getting a lobe of a perfectly good liver cut out. We also ask questions such as, do you go out and drink gallons of alcohol every night. We're also running more tests on the donor in general."

"Let me do it Rick if this person changes his mind, or if he doesn't pass this Psych stuff...."

"The donor will pass. Have faith."

Olivia sighed, "My faith is being chased by little pieces of pizza brandishing deadly mushrooms."

Rick smiled as Natalia pulled Olivia closer, "Everything will work out. The surgeon is the best we have." Olivia opened her mouth, but Rick beat her to it, "...and I'll be there with her as well."

Olivia nodded silently as Natalia spoke, "We can go back into the room, until they start prepping her?"

"Of course, of course."

Natalia led Olivia back to the room. Rick turned when a hand came down on his shoulder. "Remy?"

Remy had a frown etched on his face, "Have you seen Leah?"

Rick shook his head, "I haven't seen my daughter, not today."

"She was supposed to meet me for breakfast. Never showed. She's not answering her cell either."

"Maybe it's off?"

Remy gave his former brother-in-law a sideways look, "Uh, welcome to the twenty-first century Rick, no one turns off their phones voluntarily."

oOOOOo

The phone ringing was an unanticipated joy to watch. The relief that there might be a way to get out of the situation she was in. It had been snuffed out as the boot came down on it. No more two year contract on that model.

The look on the little princess' face as the fists impacted the kidney, nose, solar plexus, the head, and the liver. A smile with only hate in it at that one. The liver. Ironic.


	8. Chapter 8

"Why do you want to donate your liver?"

Casey rubbed her eyes and sighed, "I've answered that five different ways to mars..."

The blonde psychiatrist blinked unflinchingly at Casey, "One more time then."

Casey leaned back and closed her eyes, "I... I saved her in Company and then, and then this?"

"So..."

The Psychiatrist looked down and back up, but before she could continue Casey interrupted. "Not like that. I'm not trying to... move in, or be the hero, or, or whatever. It can be anonymous right?"

The Psychiatrist nodded, "Of course, but I know that Natalia and Olivia will want to know who saved their daughter's life. Are they paying you?"

"No." Casey raised an eyebrow, "For the fourth time."

oOOOOo

"Leah..."

Rafe glanced over at Remy and back to where he was looking. He was toast. He'd stayed up for too long on too many nights in a row. And last night had been... the best in a long time despite his sleep deprivation. "Leah..."

Remy was sure that his niece wouldn't have missed meeting him. That she wasn't just caught up in something else. Rafe couldn't deal with being cooped up at Cedars, dreading what would happen to Emma. Last he'd heard they'd found someone who was a match. He hoped it was true, and that he would give his liver without his mother or Olivia having to do anything illegal.

Remy'd managed to convince Rafe, Daisy, Christina and Dinah to help him look for his niece. It felt like they'd been all over the town. They were in the Olivia Spencer Memorial park. He touched the plaque that his father had gotten made for his... whatever the hell Olivia was to him. He let the sign drop back to its place and walked across and back out of the gazebo. He nearly tripped over her.

A gasp jumped to his throat and he yelled to those closest. "Remy, Dinah..."

Everyone came running as Rafe knelt down next to Leah. He could see Dinah on the phone as he poked at Leah's neck. He jumped back when she rolled onto her back and groaned. Remy got there just as Rafe moved to one side, leaned over and lost what little breakfast he'd had all over Dinah's shoes.

Dinah stared down at Rafe as she handed the phone to Remy. "Talk medical to them. What is this town coming to, Company, Josh, Emma, now Mel's kid, my shoes?"

Rafe leaned against the gazebo. "Sorry."

Dinah shook her head, "Least your projectile vomit didn't hit my clothes. Puke smell never seems to come out of my silk shirts."

oOOOOo

"Lillian, you know I simply want to thank him, whoever has given my daughter this amazing gift."

"I'm sorry Olivia, you know that I can't tell you. I would if I could."

Olivia shook her head, "Well, I've already narrowed down those who would actually do it." She sighed and left Lillian alone at the nurses' station. She sat down next to Natalia in the galacticly uncomfortable waiting chairs. Their hands were drawn together like magnets and they just sat there silent for quite a while. They didn't need to speak, they could both tell that the other was utterly terrified about what was happening to Emma in the OR.

It could have been a few minutes or a few hours, but it was Olivia who finally broke the silence, "I'm sorry."

Natalia didn't move for a moment that seemed to stretch and stretch. Olivia sometimes felt as though she was always apologizing, and in the back of her mind was the niggling thought that maybe one day Natalia would just walk away because she would figure out that all the 'change' that Natalia had helped bring about was just a thin film that was barely holding back the unworthy bitch of a woman that she really was.

Olivia was just about to speak again, though she had no idea what she'd say, when Natalia spoke softly. "My Mama and Father have been married for thirty five years. They met in high school and were married months after they graduated. Over all these years there has always been one constant. He's never been there. For me, for my little brother... Ever." Natalia let go of Olivia, pulling into herself, "I understand that you've doing this for nine years, being a mother, and that you have as many issues as... as...."

"National Geo?"

"Uh, you mean Rolling Stone?" Olivia bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling and let Natalia continue. "I do too. But, in my eighteen years as a mother I've only really figured out one thing. It doesn't matter if you screw up or get it right, all that matters is if you're there and you love him... or her."

Olivia gripped Natalia's hand again and her entire body relaxed as the younger woman didn't pull away. "So, to review, just be there. Check. Less sarcasm, check. No making jokes in times of stre... mmmphhh..." Olivia smiled through Natalia's hand.

The smile disappeared as Rick practically came shooting out of the hallway that led to the ORs. Before either woman could even stand he threw up a hand. He was already by them by the time he spoke over his shoulder. "It's not Emma..."

Neither woman knew what to do or where to go. Their cell phones rang at nearly the same time, Take That's 'Rule the World' clashing with Bach/Gounod's 'Ave Maria'.

Both women answered, "Olivia Spencer."

"Hello."

"No, no, American, they have to be American, okay, okay, yes Cornus florida, not Cornus mas." Olivia sighed, "Yes, I do know the difference."

"White, no, it can't be white." Natalia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes, thank you, can I talk to you tomorrow, I know it's a hard color, but I have faith in you. Thank you."

Both women closed their phones. "The real world."

"Should we put it off, our ceremony? Because of... everything?"

Natalia threaded her arm through Olivia's and leaned her head against Olivia's shoulder. "No, I mean, if Emma's still not okay, or if... Is it selfish of me to say no?"

Olivia chuckled, "Natalia Rivera, you don't have a selfish bone in your body."

"No."

Olivia blinked, "Uh. I didn't ask you a question. That was a statement of fa..."

"No, I don't want my parents there, or my little brother." She hugged Olivia closer, "You, Em, Rafe and the rest of this crazy town is all the family I need."

Olivia looked like she wanted to say something more, but instead she wrapped her arms around Natalia and they waited.

oOOOOo

Frank stared at his board. The SFPD never used a board, there were deaths sure, attacks, even kidnappings, but in less than a business week hell had come to Springfield. Company had blown up, Alan was shot at, Josh and Reva's heads bashed in on the side of the road by someone wielding a baseball bat. The forensic guys had figured that out. Then they'd found out that the mushroom's on Emma's pizza had been poisonous death caps, and of course the most recent attack. Leah Bauer. Little Leah, who now had a burr hole in her head and no hair left, though she was still alive.

Everything was spiraling out of control and none of it made any sense.

Mallet entered, his son strapped into a front pack. Henry was all smile for his grandpa, but Henry's father looked like he'd barely gotten an hour of sleep in the past couple of days.

"Emma's in surgery. Rick's with Leah. No one else is dead or hurt that I know of."

"Do know who the donor is? Phillip, Sam, Ava?"

Mallet let Henry take possession of and intensely study his fingers. Spinning his father's ring around. "Casey."

"You're kidding."

"Nope, kind of blows the case against her huh?"

Frank turned back to the board, "Only if the mushrooms, only if any of it is connected."

oOOOOo

Doris ducked back into the hall and leaned against the wall. After a moment she pushed off and walked out the back door of the station as she dialed. It wasn't more than a couple of rings before it was picked up, "Patrick, I'm sending over... yes, yes, you'll compare them to...?" She paused, "Thank you Patrick."

oOOOOo

"You know, this week has kinda sucked. First my Ma and Emma nearly get blown up, and Em gets all sick and now you, you're laying there all bumped and bruised. No hair, no consciousness." Rafe leaned back in his chair. "You were good, in the sea of shit that was this week." He closed his eyes, "What do you all have in common, what, what, what..."

He shook his head and stared at Leah again, "I bet you even saw who it was, you probably know who did it."

oOOOOo

The blonde groaned as she stopped at the nurses' station, "You're still here."

Olivia looked up from her chair. Natalia was doing a poor job of faking being asleep against Olivia chest and shoulder, but Marah didn't seem to notice. "As are you. Josh awake?"

"Nope. Emma dead yet?"

Olivia felt Natalia jerk, but she did not open her eyes or speak. "No, still in the OR. Reva divorce Jeffrey yet, to be with her one true love before he dies?"

She sank into a chair across from Olivia and Natalia. "Gah, I wish." She tilted her head to one side, "You've changed."

"New heart, what's your excuse?"

"I grew up. I'm happy in Paris. Away from the craziness of Springfield." Marah glanced at Natalia and back to Olivia, "Surprised you haven't taken your new family and escaped this place too."

Olivia shrugged, "Emma has family here, her father's here."

Marah chuckled, "See, now I know that an alien has taken over your brain. True love, letting the man, the family you've never really liked, even if you've slept with half of 'em. Letting Phillip Spaulding back into your daughter's life."

Olivia shrugged, staying silent.

After a moment Marah inclined her head, "Have you seen my brother recently? He said he'd be here to sit with Dad."

The two women's eyes met and they spoke at the same time as their eyes rolled, "Dinah."

Olivia let a smile come to her face, "A few months ago, Shane, and I, and Edmund got drunk, played Rock Band."

Natalia mumbled from her spot without moving. "Not a good combo."

"Only when I play the drums. I'm perfectly safe on guitar. Nat, this is Marah Lewis, Josh and Reva's spawn, Marah, Natalia Rivera."

Natalia sat up, her back audibly popping into place. "Emma's still in surgery?"

Olivia nodded, "Leah's doing okay too. Rafe's with her, when Rick last checked on them, he said Rafe was mumbling in his sleep."

Natalia looked across at Marah, "How's Josh?"

"Better, he's still unconscious, but no swelling."

"Lewises all have hard heads." Olivia got a poke in the gut for her quip, but Marah actually chuckled. "Ow."

Marah stood, "I hope your daughter makes it out of surgery all better."

"Thank you."

Olivia stood and approached Marah. It was an awkward dance as Marah dodged one way, Olivia the other. Finally they met in a short hug. "He's a tough cuss Marah. He'll be back, bugging you to come home before you know it."


	9. Chapter 9

Casey nearly jumped off the hospital bed as a hand came down on her shoulder. Her eyes flew open as she was jerked to wakefulness, "Who, wha?"

"Who'd you come to town to fleece? A Spaulding? A good target, but if you screw up, one false move, Alan and his family will fillet you and serve you at a reunion."

Casey pushed herself up and blinked the sleep from her eyes. "Doris?" Doris Wolfe stood at the side of Casey's bed, her hands on her hips, her lips in a thin line. "I just got my liver yanked out through my nose, what do you want?"

"Really?"

"Well, no... but thanks to the anesthesia that's what it feels like. Why are you here?"

"To warn you. People come to this town, they think they can scam their way to... power, money, acclaim. It really never works."

Casey stared at Doris in the bright florescent lights. "Maybe it's you..."

A bitter laugh bubbled, "The redneck from the trailer park?"

"You're the Mayor, with a young adult daughter."

Doris loomed over Casey, right in her face. "If you think you're going to mess with me, that's fine, funny even, but don't go anywhere near Ashlee, anywhere near my daughter." They were nearly nose to nose. Doris didn't have a chance to dodge either way as Casey gripped the back of her head. In the space of a nano second she considered the possibilities. The Mayor had just threatened Casey, what if Casey was the one terrorizing Springfield. Would she snap Doris' neck, or maybe just threaten her right back, whisper in the ear to scare the living crap out of her.

For whatever reason she never expected Casey's lips to capture her own. Her brain was yelling at her hands, 'push away, push away', but her hands weren't listening. It was as if she were a visitor in her own body, she felt herself moving, upper body, and then she was on top of Casey, and thinking was no longer her primary objective.

Everything came to a grinding halt as Casey bit back a groan.

Like a shot from a gun Doris plummeted back to Earth, and nearly dove into the chair farthest from Casey's bed. "Oh, Lord."

"I'm not after anyone Doris. No alterior motive."

"Ulterior..." Doris sighed, "Sorry, you're not an idiot."

Casey pushed herself up in the bed with a groan. She had the feeling that she wouldn't be getting back to sleep. "Do you want to know about me? Probably won't make you believe that I'm not angling... actually." Casey shook her head, "On second thought. It'll probably let you think I'm guilty of all of it."

"Is Casey your real name?"

Casey smirked, "That's a complicated question."

"It shouldn't be."

Casey absently rubbed at the stitched from her liver donation. "I don't know what I was born as. I was hours old when a nurse found me in the parking garage near Mass General in Boston. This was 1980, so, no baby safe haven law I think. I was dubbed Casey Jones."

Doris interrupted Casey, "Why?"

Casey couldn't help but smirk. Her story was serious, but she couldn't help tweaking the way too serious Mayor of Springfield. "Think, think hard."

Doris' eyebrows curved down and then rose again with a shake of her head. "They named you that because of the birthmark on your thigh that looks like..."

"...a railroad spike."

"If you squint and are blind."

Casey shrugged, "When I was younger it looked more like one. Anyway, it was better than going through life as Baby Doe."

"I don't know, I've known some women named Baby. I could see you in ballet flats and a tutu."

Casey raised an eyebrow, "Was that a joke?"

"I hope so. You... in a tutu." The Mayor shuddered as she studied Casey. "You ride a motorcycle, though you're not as hard core as you could be because you wear a helmet, probably one that covers your entire head, with a visor, so the drivers that try to run you off the road can't see your mouth as you curse them out."

"If you're done making fun of me." Doris nodded, "I was put into the Mass DSS. Why I never got adopted I'll never know. I survived it and aged out at eighteen. Then I almost killed someone, got sober, and moved as far away from Massachusetts as I could, Vegas."

Doris frowned, "You almost killed someone?"

"I was drunk and driving. It was a wrestler, trying to lose those final pounds. I..." Casey closed her eyes, "He had a scholarship to BU, back when they had a football program. His leg broke so badly when I hit him..." She shook her head and opened her eyes again, "Been sober for almost 12 years. The second I could, I escaped to Vegas. Since then, well, you can probably guess the rest."

"Why here?"

Casey shook her head, "Thought it'd be quiet, calm. I could work somewhere, go home at night, relax, just... And then on my fourth day here Company explodes. Days later I'm sitting in a hospital bed having donated a big part of my liver to some kid I don't know." Casey finally met Doris' eyes. "Can you get me out of here?"

Doris frowned, "You're still in pain... and things could still go wrong, you just had major surgery."

Casey shook her head, "You're Doris Wolfe right?" Doris raised her eyebrows at that, "What, fine, fine, I'll sign whatever they want me to, I just need to leave, get out of..." She glanced around, "Here."

"Okay, okay, I'll get an AMA or... or something for you, but you're coming back to my house."

"Oh?"

Doris rolled her eyes, "Please... from there you can go wherever, or stay..."

Casey glanced around the room, "Definitely not going to stay. Tomorrow morning, Springfield will be a memory."

Doris stood, "Frank and Mallet will be..." Doris paused, finding the right word, "Disturbed."

Casey shrugged and winced as her lower body moved too and she pulled at her stitches. "Will you call them, warn them?"

"God no, they treat me like an evil step sister on their best days... No."

Casey climbed from the bed with only a little twitch of pain. "I could always give you my cell number."

Doris nodded, all seriousness, "Right, for the purpose of the SFPD tracking you down if they have questions... or want to arrest you."

Casey nodded right back, not missing a beat, "Of course, of course, for the SFPD." Casey didn't move as Doris left.

It was a few minutes before she reappeared, but she did, AMA form in hand. She didn't give it to Casey though. "I need something from you." Casey stayed silent, she wasn't really surprised, she hadn't really thought that Doris would do something for her just to do it. "Your DNA."

Casey hadn't expected that, "Excuse me?"

She handed Casey the form before she got her answer. "All you have to do is sign it and you're gone."

"Doris, the DNA?" Casey put aside the form as she pulled on her jeans.

"Hey, I was planning on getting it through nefarious ways anyway. May as well just ask you."

"Why do you want it?"

Doris studied Casey, gauging how much she wanted to tell the woman. "I think you're related to Emma. That means you're either a Spencer or a Spaulding..." Doris trailed off. "Or a Marler I guess. Emma's kinda related to... well, pretty much everyone in this town in some way."

Casey put a hand to her head, "Rebecca tried to explain it to me... Just gave me a headache. How'd you get they're DNA, ask nicely?"

Doris smirked, "Not quite." The smile dropped from her face, "And you probably don't want to know. But, you have to admit, you being such a good match for Emma could mean something."

"There are perfect matches between people who've never met all the time, usually they wind up being ABC News's 'Person of the Week'. Why do you care?"

Doris shot back with a question of her own, "Will you give me the DNA?"

Casey finally held out her hand and Doris put a bag with a swab in it. Casey raised an eyebrow, "Do I want to know how you were going to get it without me knowing?"

Doris smirked again, "You're missin' out is all I'll say... Just swab your cheek already."

Casey smiled back, "Yes ma'am..."


	10. Chapter 10

"Aw, c'mon, I'm playing an unconscious woman and still losing, how is that possible." Rafe picked up all the cards and reshuffled them. "Your dad thinks I'm nuts, of course, your Ma thinks it's cute." He dealt two cards to Leah, and two to himself. "I'm not sure which is worse. It's funny, they both spend so much time here anyway, now it's like they're both living here. Sorta like Ma and Liv."

He put a card to one side, and dealt the flop. He chuckled when he saw the cards. "Nine of hearts, little Emma, Queen of hearts, Ma, and Queen of Diamonds, Liv..." He shook his head, "They're so different, like Liv's this... Mistletoe or, no, Poinsettia, pretty as hell, but damn can she poison ya, and Ma... Ma's...." He trailed off.

From the doorway Olivia finished his thought, "Flowering Dogwood, one of my favorite trees, even before I met your mother. She's religious, and.." A smile came unbidden to her. "...and she always seems to bloom when you need her to."

Rafe frowned, "What?"

"She's never told you that... fable, or myth, or story or whatever it is?"

Rafe dealt the turn, a Jack of spades. "Yeah Olivia, we spend hours and hours talkin' about trees."

Olivia leaned against the door jamb. "Well, we have a dogwood at the farmhouse land. Uh, let's see if I remember it, I'll probably get it all wrong. It used to be that the dogwood was a tall, magnificent tree. A totally different tree. But then, its wood was used to make the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Anyway, because its wood was used in such a way the tree vowed that it would never grow tall enough to be used in such a way again. Also, its flower would be... would look different in honor of Jesus, or something like that. A white cross, with the stigmata, blood and indentations that look sorta like nail holes on each end of the four leaves of the flower. Also, the indentations had a rust color to them. Oh, and in the middle it would have a crown of thorns, yellowish."

Rafe dealt the river and stared at the King of hearts for a while before he looked up. "Do you believe it?"

Olivia pursed her lips, "I believe what I think it stands for, what it means." Rafe looked back at her with a 'huh' look on his face. "That if, in your life there is a big enough event, some truly life changing experience, that even if you're as hard and immovable as even a tree, you can change who you are."

Rafe chuckled, "Ya mean a sap?"

Olivia crossed her arms over her chest with a smile, "Oh, young one, I could whip your ass at poker or any other game, and why haven't you asked about Emma?"

Rafe rolled his eyes, "'Cause you're all bubbly and as for poker..."

He flipped over his cards. He had a two of clubs and an eight of spades. He flipped over Leah's, a Queen of spades and a Jack of hearts. He shook his head. "You're probably right." 

"If you think you can pry yourself away from the Bauer princess, Emma finally woke up and wants to see... her words, not mine, words which made your mother brighten like a demented firefly... her big brother."

Rafe blushed to the tips of his ears. "Uh, yeah, yeah, I'll be right there, soon."

"Good."

oOOOOo

"You need to come home."

"I can't."

Jeffrey put a hand on Reva's shoulder. She was in a chair next to Josh's hospital bed. She hadn't left the chair, except to pee since the Doctors had cleared her. "Josh has Marah, Shane, Billy, Bill, even Matt. Colin only has us."

Reva turned and stood, nearly butting heads with Jeffrey. "You think I don't know that?" She turned back to Josh, "But I just... I can't."

"It's not your fault Reva, you're..."

Reva sighed, "It is Jeffrey."

Jeffrey frowned, "Do you know something?"

Reva took Josh's hand in her own, "No, we were walking, and then, black. But, it's always my fault. I need to be there for him, because Josh... he's always there through it all."

"Every..." Josh groaned as he slowly woke, "...painful wondrous second."

Without thinking Reva leaned down and kissed a still very confused Josh, "Joshua."

He put a hand to his head, "Where's Frank?"

"Frank?" Jeffrey jumped on the name, "Is he the one who did this to you?"

Josh shook his head and his eyes closed as the world became a tipsy turvy place. "No... no..." His eyes opened, "But, he's on the case, right?" Jeffrey nodded, "Please, get him."

oOOOOo

Rafe kissed Emma's forehead and the young girl's eyes opened, "Rafe... you came."

Rafe smiled, "I have to make sure my protégé is ready for more lessons."

Emma bit her lip, "Can we do something other than poker?"

"Like what?"

Emma shrugged, "Don't know."

"Well, tell me when ya do, and I'll do what I can pipsqueak."

Emma fell silent for a bit. Rafe thought that she'd fallen back asleep when she spoke, letting out a total non-sequitur. "We're actually related you know."

"I..."

Emma pushed on, "Dad and Gus were brothers, so we're cousins. Is... is that why you hang out with me, and, and stuff?"

"We are in no way cousins Em," Emma's face fell, but Rafe wasn't done, "No matter what happens with my Mom and Liv, you're my little sis, 'kay?" Emma nodded, "Anything you ever need. Need me to beat up Derek, or cover for you when you go on a date with him."

Emma laughed, "I don't like Derek, like, like..."

Rafe pretended to wipe his brow, "Phew. But, seriously, we're fam... Oh, my God. That's it." He ruffled her hair, "I gotta go find Frank, or, or Mallet, or someone. I'll be back."

oOOOOo

"Josh, good to see you conscious. Reva, Jeffrey." Frank finished his circuit of the room and his eyes settled back onto the man on the bed. "What do you have for me?"

"It was a woman. She was wearing a mask, but it was a woman, I know it was a woman." He glanced around, "Where's Mallet?"

Frank waved towards the rest of the world. "Following another lead. Back to you, did you know her. Did she speak?"

"No, no, but..." He closed his eyes for a moment, "She did seem familiar."

Reva stood, "Everyone out. Frank, Jeffrey. Joshua's helped, now find this despicable woman."

"Reva." This came from Jeffrey.

But Reva was having nothing of it. "We'll talk later Jeffrey, please."

Jeffrey's jaw worked, but finally he nodded and left the room, Frank next to him.

Josh sighed, "You shouldn't have done that Reva."

"Neither you, nor Jeffrey will tell me what I can and can't do. Now, you've had enough excitement for today, you need to rest."

Josh couldn't help but smile, "Yes ma'am."

oOOOOo

Mallet sighed. He hoped that he'd finally get something. There were only so many places in Springfield and the surrounding area that the materials that bomb squad had found in Company's wreckage could be bought.

Mallet walked into his last hardware store, "Doyle..."

"Camaletti. More home improvement. For your little one?"

Mallet shook his head, "Unfortunately, no." He handed Doyle Pound a list, his last copy. "Official business. Do you recall selling any of this stuff to someone recently, maybe a couple of people?"

Doyle inspected the list for a moment before he nodded. "I do think I did. It was a woman, and I didn't recognize her." He paused, "But that's not unusual, I'm off the highway, get lots of walk in sorts of first timers in addition to my Springfield crowd." 

Mallet had out his notebook, writing. "Do you remember anything else about her?"

"No, sorry Anthony, customers tend to bleed together."

"Surveillance?"

Doyle chuckled, "Watchin' over my buy one screw, get two free sales? Nah."

Mallet took out a piece of paper, "Would you mind looking at some photos. If the woman's not there, that's okay too."

Doyle shrugged, "If I kept all the faces I see in my head, my brain would leak out my ears, but sure, what the hell."

He took the sheet and studied it for a bit before he handed it back to Mallet. "Sorry Anthony, don't recognize any of them, but..."

Mallet nodded as he flipped closed his notebook, "That doesn't mean that she isn't in the pictures. Yes." He held out his hand and Doyle shook it. "Thank you."

"You need to catch this woman. All my wife lets me have is veggie burgers."

Mallet chuckled.

oOOOOo

"Frank, Frank..."

Frank whirled as Rafe skidded to a halt. "Is it Emma, Natalia?"

Rafe waved Frank silent. "No, no, I know what he's doing, or why he's doing it, or, or something. Cooper, Spaulding, Lewis, Spencer, Bauer. Cooper, Spaulding, Lewis, Spencer, Bauer... it's one of each family."

Frank frowned, "Company..."

Jeffrey interrupted the Detective, "Company and the Coopers have always been one and the same."

Rafe added, "And I bet he thought that there'd be a Cooper there, Buzz, or Marina, or even you Frank."

Frank didn't get a chance to answer as his phone rang. He moved to one side to have his conversation. Jeffrey patted Rafe on the shoulder. "That was a good catch." He paused, "How's Emma?"

Rafe leaned against a wall and let a slow breath out. "Emma, she's fine. She's the one who gave me the idea."

"I believe that."

"Said something about us all being related, I mean, we're already cousins, but now we're like brother and sister. Something... anyway..."

Frank flipped closed the phone as Mallet came into the hospital hallway. Jeffrey put his hand on Rafe's shoulder again, "Go back, be with Emma and your family. We'll catch this woman."

"Woman?" Rafe glanced over at Jeffrey, stunned, "Really?"

"You didn't hear it from me."

oOOOOo

Doris had been staring at Casey for nearly five minutes. They were both in Doris' bed, again, and the previous night they hadn't been cuddling.

"I think you have a problem Mayor Wolfe."

"Oh?"

Casey rolled over with only a small wince. "Yep. Apparently, you have a thing for me." Doris moved so she sat on the edge of the bed, facing away from Casey. "Uh, that was a joke Doris."

Doris shook her head, "I'm not that woman, I will never wake up every day next to the same woman, I don't think it's in me."

Casey sat up against the headboard with a frown marring her features. "Really... today, this morning, I'm gone. Are you okay?"

Doris stood, "Course, of course." She groaned as she slipped on a T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants. "Tonight's the incredible two girls in love's rehearsal dinner." She turned, "Aren't you curious who you're related to, Phillip, or Olivia?"

Casey shrugged, "I just want to get out of this mad house of a town before someone decides to take a shot at me too..."

oOOOOo

Frank didn't get out of his marked cruiser, he didn't want to know. Mallet was lucky, he was off at a simple traffic accident. Frank, he got the, 'Uh, 911, I think I sorta heard a gunshot, or perhaps just kids with firecrackers' at the Beacon. At least he wouldn't run into Olivia or Natalia, and he hoped to anyone that would listen that it wasn't Natalia or Olivia.

"I'm just not having a kid with firecracker sorta week."

oOOOOo

"Is Shane okay? Is he?"

Mallet patted his ex-wife's hand as Dinah Marler was put into the waiting ambulance. "He'll see you at Cedars Dinah, he's better than you and your scratches are."

"5PQ69C... okay. I'm not wrong, that was the license plate number."

Mallet held up his notebook so Dinah could see it. "I got it." He nodded and Remy's partner slammed closed the back doors. He gave the young woman paramedic a smile, "Good luck with that one."

The young woman chuckled back, as she walked to the driver's side and climbed in. Soon it was on its way to Cedars. Mallet turned and studied the mangled wreck. He finally sighed and moved to his car. He slid in, not bothering to close the door. He typed in the license plate number Dinah had remembered and waited, and waited.

His cell phone rang, "Mallet. Hey Frank."

On the other side Frank sounded weary, "I have some... good news. She's deviated."

"Mmm.. I don't think so, I just finished loading Dinah and Shane into ambulances. Marler."

"Trust me Mallet, unless Springfield just obtained another crazy killer, she broke her pattern."

Mallet frowned, "No, it has to be someone else, she hasn't killed yet, oh lord, I think I can guess who you've been standing over."


	11. Chapter 11

Emma held a hand over her mouth as she watched her Mom's 'debate'.

"We are not doing someone walking either of us down the aisle."

"Why not? You could have Buzz, and my son could walk with me."

Olivia raised an eyebrow, "That would presume that he could pull himself from Leah Bauer's bedside for half a second."

Natalia gave Olivia a gentle shove, "C'mon now. Are we not doing your dream wedding. Outside at the farm..."

Olivia cut Natalia off, "Since I couldn't convince you to import a white sand beach."

"Outside, all white, the flowers, the dresses, the chairs, my son may take revenge on you for making him wear all white."

Olivia and Natalia's gazes dueled, "Sam, not Buzz, I've, Buzz and I have..." She glanced over at her daughter and instead of speaking the word, she wiggled her eyebrows.

Natalia shook her head, "Sam is a good idea. So... you and Sam... then me and Rafe? Then we..."

"...live happily ever after."

Lillian appeared, "Natalia, Olivia. How are you doing Emma?"

"Can I go home now?"

Lillian shook her head, "Not yet, but would you like to take a trip to our playroom? See some other kids?"

Emma's gaze went to Olivia, then Natalia. Both women nodded, "This'll be so much fun."

oOOOOo

Casey looked up at the knock on the door. She glanced between it and the kitchen, where Ashlee was making herself lunch. She was so close. She probably should have ignored the knock, gone out the back.

Instead, she answered it. Frank and Mallet stood there, badges hanging on their pockets. "Detectives, what can..."

She didn't get to finish her thought as Frank entered the house and slammed her against the wall so hard that the art on it shook. "Casey Jones. You're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Did it feel good to destroy, to kill, to terrify everyone in Springfield? Do you feel powerful now?"

Ashlee crutched out of the kitchen, "Frank, what are you doing?"

"We're taking Casey in... to ask her some questions."

Ashlee didn't look convinced, "In handcuffs? That doesn't seem right." Ashlee stared at the tableaux and finally shrugged. "Well, have fun, I guess. and close the door on your way out."

Frank and Mallet led Casey out the door. She hadn't said anything since the Detectives had appeared, and that didn't change as they put her in the unmarked car.

Ashlee watched the two men and Casey drive away, and crutched back into the kitchen. She picked up the phone and dialed a number from memory. "Hey, Doris. Frank and Mallet just arrest Casey..." She paused and listened to her mother with a wisp of a smile on her face. Her mother was hilarious sometimes. "Nope, didn't say why, they just gave me some excuse about questions." She paused again, "Yep, yep, bye."

Ashlee hung up the phone and shook her head, "Doris and Casey, sittin' in a tree..." She trailed off as she shook her head again with a chuckle.

oOOOOo

"You're su..."

Natalia was cut off as Olivia kissed her into silence and lifted her, turning in a circle. Natalia whacked Olivia on the chest and was put down. "You are so bad."

"Nah... Gus was a tough son of a bitch, a little kissin', some twirling, maybe some..."

"We are getting ready for the rehearsal dinner, then we need to go pick up Emma, and actually have the dinner."

Olivia regretfully let go of Natalia and resumed her place watching Natalia work. "Shouldn't it just be called a dinner, since, no actual rehearsal happened?"

"Shush, and get the carrots."

Olivia didn't move, "Uh, can the carrots wait for a second?"

Natalia chuckled, "Liv..."

Olivia put a hand on Natalia's shoulder and the younger woman turned, "Not that I don't want to ravage you, but, uh, I wasn't... I mean. Can we go into the living room?"

Natalia wiped off her hands and took Olivia's hand in her own. "Of course."

They made their way through the doorway and both sat on the couch. "I... just wanted to give you a couple of things."

"Olivia..."

"Please. First..." She pulled a box from under the coffee table. "Here." 

Natalia held the box in her lap, "Heavy."

Olivia shrugged and sat back, her arm along the back of the couch, "I guess."

Natalia gasped as she pulled the Spencer family bible from the box. She shook her head, "No, Olivia..." and tried to push the book into Olivia's hands, but the hotel owner wouldn't take it.

"Just listen first. I've never understood God, I thought, if there were a God then why would he or she take my mother just when I truly needed her, why..."

"Olivia..."

"I'm not done." Olivia took a breath, "The thing is, and I know this is one of my less than stellar qualities, I see the negative easier than the positive. Without my parent issues, maybe I don't fall for Josh, then Alan and Phillip, maybe I never have Emma, I never reconcile with Ava. Perhaps I don't fall in love with Buzz, and he... there is only one person I've loved, really and truly unconditionally other than Buzz. He taught me, and because of him I found you. I love you. And so, maybe God did know what, uh, He, she, it... knew what He was doing. And maybe losing my mother meant that I got to meet you. I..." She trailed off, "Anyway. This was my Grandma Spencer's the family bible. She, uh, hated my mother, and was pissed off with my father, so I got it when my Grandma died. I... I never knew what to do with it until now."

Natalia ran her hand over the cover for a moment, it was much less flashy than she'd have guessed it would be. It was much more like the Spencer that Natalia had found on the inside of Olivia than the Spencer that Olivia showed the outside world. And, its cover was white. "This is... your grandmother, it's the reason for the entirely white wedding thing huh?" Olivia nodded.

Natalia turned and engulfed Olivia in a hug. "Thank you, thank you Olivia. It's, it's..."

"Proof that I actually listen, and uh, that's not, kinda quite it..."

"Olivia Greer Spencer."

She took an envelope and handed it to Natalia. "Just a... lawyerly something."

Natalia frowned, "I thought we'd taken care of all of that."

Olivia shrugged.

Natalia wasn't sure she wanted to open it, but she finally did. She shook her head. "You're crazy. You've fought tooth and nail to own the Beacon outright, what if... what if we don't work? There are so many variables..."

"I'm not just. This isn't just because we're together. Since you've been there the staff is happier, we've expanded our offerings, who's coming to it, organizations and individual customers. Your ideas have made the Beacon so much better. Do you think I would have ever thought of the seniors using our pool for their swim. They get to actually use some of the money they get with all those grants they apply for, and we... well, get the money and can keep ourselves open."

Natalia put down the papers and lay her head against Olivia's shoulder. "All I've done, everything is only because you pushed me to be more, always more. But... I... I should have..."

"Stop."

Natalia didn't move, but looked up at Olivia. "Olivia."

"This isn't a competition, us together, never a competition. I don't need any... thing or things from you. You've already given me life, your husband's heart, and then you pushed me... to love, to be a better woman, mother, human being. I didn't give these things to.. do this stuff because I wanted something  
in return or because I wanted you to feel guilty. You've taught me better than that..."

Olivia chuckled, "If you asked for... for anything right now, in the future. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't think twice before giving it to you."

Natalia sat up, her voice cool, "I'm not in this relationship for money."

"I know, I know love." She pulled Natalia back down, "Still, wouldn't think, would just give. Very unlike the old me..." Olivia was silent for a long moment and then she spoke again, "I.. uh, I'm probably not going to say all that tomorrow, but I mean it, whatever I say tomorrow, I mean what I…"

Natalia shushed Olivia, "I know. I know."

They sat there for a while before Olivia sighed, "Probably have to go do the carrots, huh?"

Natalia kissed Olivia's neck, "Just think about something other than tonight, like, for example, going to pick up Emma."

"Don't think about tonight, you mean, don't think about the fact that half the town will be coming down on the farmhouse. Whatever could go wrong?"

oOOOOo

Mallet stood in the room behind the mirror and stared at Casey on the other side. "You really think she killed Claire? I still don't see why. And where's the car that Claire rented. If she killed Claire, why didn't she use Claire's car?" He paused, "So, she uses a stolen credit card to get a car to run down Dinah, Claire Ramsey is there... and... what? She didn't have the stolen card on her."

Frank put a hand up, "The rental guy ID'd Casey."

Mallet shook his head, "The twenty year old that seemed like he was still drunk at this point in the day? Yeah, that'll hold up."

Frank left Mallet in the viewing room and entered the interrogation room. "Your life's never been fair, has it?" Casey shrugged, "Never adopted, bounced from home to home, maybe some of those homes weren't as great as they should have been." Casey's cheek twitched, but she stayed silent. "What I can't figure out is why Springfield. We've looked for similar.... sprees... in the rest of the country. Places you've been. Nothing. And we've looked into you up, down and sideways. You're not connected to anyone here. So, why go after the families of Springfield. Cooper, Spencer, Lewis, Marler, Spaulding, Bauer."

Casey frowned, "What?"

Frank sat forward, "The young man at the car rental place seemed to think that you know exactly what I'm talking about." Casey chuckled, which did not amuse Frank, "You think this is funny?"

The door to the interrogation room opened, "Do not say another word."

Both Frank and Casey looked up. Frank shook his head, "Doris, Jeffrey is the prosecutor on this case."

Doris nodded, "I know. I'm not here for you, I'm here for her. Where's your arrest warrant?" Frank didn't speak, "So, you lied to her, in that case, we're leaving."

She put an arm under Casey's elbow and stood the stunned woman up. "We've got a party to get to anyway."

Frank finally caught up to them in the squad room and spun Doris around, "You can't..."

Doris glanced at the dormant TV. "Turn on the news."

She led Casey out the doorway and the station. Casey's voice floated back to the two Detectives. "Doris, what the hell did you do?"

Mallet turned on the TV, which was set to a Springfield station. The news anchor was speaking, "Again, to repeat our breaking news." A picture of Doris appeared above the anchor's left shoulder, "Mayor Doris Wolfe has very unexpectedly resigned from both her Mayoral duties and her prosecutorial ones. No more information has been obtained about this surprising turn of events, and no reason has been given by Ms. Wolfe herself."

Mallet flipped it off, "I didn't see that coming."

Frank's jaw worked, "Party, what... Natalia's rehearsal dinner."

Mallet shook his head, "Leave it alone Frank. This is Natalia's day, don't screw that up for her."

Frank took his jacket off his chair, "Most of Olivia's ex-husbands will be there, you think I'll register as more than a blip? I need to be where Casey is."

Mallet sighed, "Well, I'll be here..." Frank followed the path that Doris and Casey had taken as Mallet picked up his cell phone and stared at it. Finally he dialed home. "Marian, hey..." He closed his eyes, "Yeah, I'm here for a bit more."


	12. Chapter 12

Natalia groaned, "Alan's smiling... that's bad right?"

Rafe chuckled and Olivia frowned also. "Yes, it is. Do we know who invited him?"

Natalia sighed, she wasn't having fun yet. "I don't know, this is like a party as a teenager. You start with three friends, and then suddenly the entire Freshman class shows up and trashes your house."

Olivia chuckled, "Ah, Natalia Rivera... wild thing..." Natalia gave Olivia a shove in the shoulder. "What?"

Rafe shook his head, "Ma..."

Natalia watched as Olivia went over to Alan, then turned to her son. "You'll be there tomorrow, at the wedding, wearing what you're supposed to wear?"

"Of course Ma." He put an arm around his mother, "Olivia lights ya up and makes you happy." He smirked, "I try not to think about the rest, the... uh, second floor rest..." 

He turned bright red, as his mother did the same. "Raphael Rivera..." She hugged him and kissed his cheek, "I love you."

"Love you too Ma."

oOOOOo

"Have you lost your mind Olivia?"

Olivia put a hand to her heart, "You care, you really care." Her face shut down, "Now, get out."

Alan didn't move, "You fought all comers for the Beacon, and now you just... give half of it away to... to..."

"Pick your words very carefully Alan." She shook her head, "Don't I recall that at one point you wanted her for yourself? I don't pretend to understand why I'm in this position instead of half the other people in Springfield, but neither you, nor any one of these... uninvited guests will cause me to screw this up."

A younger man stopped at Olivia's side and kissed her cheek. "Olivia." Bill Lewis glanced over, "Alan," and then back to Olivia, "So, where's the little bean?"

Olivia smiled, "In the kitchen, holding court."

"Of course."

Olivia glanced around, "And Lizzie?"

Bill shook his head as he led Olivia towards the kitchen, "Stayed home. She wasn't sure if she'd be welcome."

Olivia paused their journey, "She is. She's not the same person who pushed me down the Beacon stairs. You should both come tomorrow."

"And you're not the same woman who kept sleeping with fathers and their sons... You know, Billy's never understood why he didn't rate."

Olivia chuckled, "Didn't go after Shane either."

"Yeah..." Bill's dimples were in full force, "'Cause you know Josh'd kill you."

Olivia shook her head, "Nope, Reva'd kill me." They entered the kitchen. At one end of it sat Emma, with strict instructions that she was to stay put. For once in her nine years on Earth she was listening to her Mom. Though Olivia was pretty sure that was mostly because she was still drained form the surgery.

On one side was Reva, Jeffrey and Colin. On the other sat Phillip. Before she could say anything, Frank flew into the kitchen of the farmhouse. "Where is she?"

Olivia frowned, "The living room?"

Frank shook his head, "Not Natalia, Casey, where is she?"

"Not here Frank..."

Frank held a hand up and caught his breath, then spoke again, "Can I talk to you outside?"

Olivia nodded. She walked the long way out, on the way ruffling Emma's hair affectionately.

Once outside they stood silent. On the walkway. "Frank."

He handed a wallet to Olivia. "Here..."

Olivia stared down at it. "Gus' badge. No..." She handed it back, "No. You don't get off that easy."

Frank frowned, "Excuse me?"

"Natalia loves you, maybe not the way you want, but she does, and Rafe, Rafe needs you." Her eyes twinkled, though she kept a straight face. "I know a lot of Springfield seems to think I literally have balls, but... I don't."

Frank rolled his eyes, "I'm the... male role model?"

Olivia shrugged, "I don't know. I have all of my ex-husbands in there, not to mention, you, Buzz..." She shook her head, "But Rafe, he loves you Frank." She sighed, "Hell Frank, I'm trying to be big, and, that doesn't happen often. Can we just go back in there and celebrate a little?"

Frank put away the badge, "You're not going to... hug me or anything now?"

"Wasn't planning on it, no."

Frank gave Olivia a whack, that was just a tiny bit too hard, on the back. "See, you haven't gone totally soft."

oOOOOo

"Rafe?"

"Yeah."

You could practically see Mallet push aside everything that was whirling around in his brain concerning the case, before he turned and faced Rafe. "What's up? Are you okay?"

Rafe shrugged and leaned against an empty desk. "Was over at the hospital. Everyone who isn't at the farmhouse is pacing near Leah's room." He shook his head. "It all sucks and now someone died too." He put a hand over his eyes and took slow, long breaths.

Mallet stood and leaned against the desk next to the young man. "Your Mom, Emma... Olivia too, they'll be alright. If you're right then Emma was the one from your family."

The statement didn't seem to help ease whatever was going on in Rafe's head. "We need Gus."

Mallet pushed off the desk, his face pinched just a bit. "Well, ya got me and Frank unfortunately."

Rafe looked up, abashed, "Sorry man, I didn't mean it that way."

"No." Mallet held a hand up, "No, I understand."

Rafe shook his head, "No, you don't Mallet. What I just said--like an idiot--aloud, I think that at least once a day. When I'm taking a stupid exam I think, 'I need Gus, he woulda helped me understand this better'. Or, when Emma skins her knee and I..." He swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment. After just a few seconds he cleared his throat and continued, "And I'm the only one at home I think, 'Gus would have known how to take the pain away, make her smile again'."

Mallet crossed his arms over his chest, "What do you do?"

Rafe shrugged, "Make funny noises at Emma, or talk with her about my classes." He shook his head, "She's smarter than I am by like... several football fields."

"Ten to the hundred and twenty third?" Rafe frowned and didn't laugh at Mallet's attempt at a joke. "Never mind. What about the tests?"

Rafe shrugged, "Study harder. Sometimes I ask Liv or Ma my questions." A smile came to Rafe's face, "Or Em." He sighed, "Still, it's hard." He picked up a piece of paper with names in different colors connected by lines. "What'cha doin'?"

"A Family tree. Tried a couple of online programs. Downloaded 'em. One wouldn't acknowledge anything but male female pairings..."

Rafe smirked, "Just imagine Liv a dude. It was how I got through my days of knowing at the beginning."

Mallet looked at Rafe with a look that said he didn't believe Natalia's son had just spoken the words he had. "Olivia... male?" He shook his head, "And to think, I used to have such good dreams about Olivia, now that image is going to be stuck in my head."

Rafe performed a half bow, "You're welcome."

"Gah. Anyway. The other program crapped out when I tried to input the Spauldings and Marlers. Did you know that Dinah and Emma are literally related. Just to Phillip to Emma. Ross to Dinah. Anyway. I was just about to try it the old fashioned way, by hand. Want to help?"

Rafe took out his phone. No new messages and it just wouldn't ring. He shrugged, "Sure. I wasn't too bad in art class. So, red for girls, blue for boys, black for currently deceased?"

"Something like that."

oOOOOo

"They haven't killed each other yet." Natalia and Olivia were partially hiding in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room.

Olivia wrapped her arms around Natalia. "Or arrested each other."

"Do you think she did it?"

Olivia shrugged, "Nah. Doris' defending her and she gave up her mayorship for it."

Natalia glanced into the kitchen. "I think we need to get Emma to bed. She's way past tired."

"Want me to or..."

Natalia kissed Olivia's cheek, "You are not lifting Emma up these stairs tonight."

Natalia collected Emma and the crowd parted as she made her way through the living room and up the stairs.

Everyone shifted around, engaged in all sorts of conversations while drinking their after dinner coffee. Olivia found herself next to Casey. "Ms. Spencer, that was quite a meal. Even if the seating arrangements were..."

"Interesting? And it's Olivia." She glanced around the room. "It was supposed to be Ava, Sam, Bill, maybe Lizzie. Rafe, Emma, Phillip and Beth, and Doris." She turned to face Casey fully. "So, did you kill Claire?"

Casey frowned, "From the... pointed-ness of that question I'm going to guess that you were her friend?"

Olivia smiled sadly, "Was the operative word. We never kept in touch, but yes, I knew her. I didn't know she was in town though."

"I didn't kill her."

Olivia's eyes bounced to Frank and then back to Casey, "Frank seems to think you have no alibi for early this morning."

Casey shrugged, "I was in bed."

"That's sort of..."

"No..." Casey met Olivia's eyes, "NO, I was.. in... bed."

She raised an eyebrow and Olivia got it. "Oh, ah... that could be bad for you considering the..."

"Where clothes go aspect of the whole thing? Only if I did it. Good thing I didn't then."

Doris approached them, as she walked, putting away her cell phone. "Olivia, all alone. See, I knew Natalia would come to her senses."

"You're funny."

Doris gestured, "Could I borrow Casey for a moment?"

"Go crazy."

Casey led the way out the kitchen door. Doris shivered and Casey spoke, "You want me to go back in, get your jacket?"

Doris shook her head, "You're Olivia Spencer's sister. But, you want to know what's weird?"

Casey leaned against the house. "Probably not, but go for it, since you're going to tell me no matter what I say."

"You're her full sister."

Casey frowned, "Has she ever said anything about a sister, another sibling. I thought it was just Sam."

"Nope. Nary a word." Doris crossed her arms over her chest, trying to stay warm. Casey stopped herself from rolling her eyes. Instead she pushed off the wall and wrapped her arms around Doris. The older woman let her head fall forward and came to rest against Casey's shoulder. She mumbled something into that shoulder.

The woman moved just an inch back, "What?"

"I'm sorry."

Casey shook her head, "Don't be. Everyone has their own time. You'll know when it's right."

"Are you going to tell Olivia. About who you are?" Doris continued, "I was sure you were Spaulding."

Casey shook her head as she stepped away from Doris. "I am wounded Counselor. Mortally wounded and no. I don't see how telling anyone will help. And..." She raised her eyebrows, "You can't tell anyone either, oh lawyer my lawyer."

Doris winced. "I walked into that one."

"Why did you resign as Mayor, as a prosecutor. You know that I'm innocent of killing Ramsey, and you probably are partly sure I'm innocent of the rest. I didn't need defending in there."

Doris shrugged, "I don't know. I usually keep my inner super hero chained up, but, I guess he got away."

"He?" Casey chuckled, "Your inner super hero is a he?"

"Isn't yours? Mine's Batman."

Casey sighed and shook her head, "Ah, Doris, Doris, Doris..."

Doris put her hands on her hips, "Oh, and who's yours?"

"Not that rich playboy, that's for sure."

Doris shook her head, "The orphan right?" Doris slipped her arm through Casey's. "Though, I guess you did fly through the air to save Emma and Natalia. And used your inner super strength to help my daughter." Doris reached up and touched the stitches on Casey's face. "You need to work on the invulnerability."

They started back towards the house. Casey was surprised when Doris didn't let go as they crossed the threshold back into the kitchen, but went with it.

oOOOOo

"Mallet, you're insane."

The Detective took a step back. It was a work of art. Very quickly their neat, logically laid out tree had turned into a chaotic mess and it took up an entire wall of one of the interview rooms.

Rafe now knew way too much about his fellow Springfield residents. He carefully traced Leah Bauer back a bit. "Guess that's something."

Mallet looked up, "What?"

Rafe used his other hand to trace his line. "Fingers aren't touching.  
I'm not related to her."

Mallet chuckled, "You like her."

Rafe slid down the wall across from their chart. "Don't even know her."

"You will, I have a feeling."

Rafe studied Mallet, "Oh, you do Yenta?"

Mallet chuckled and started to respond. But his phone rang, he answered it on the second ring. "Mallet." He blinked, "Really." He walked back into the squad room and sat down at his desk. "Okay, tell me. Female, dark hair, what the hell does 'bajoran-ish if you squint' mean?" Mallet sighed, "No, no, don't tell her that. Anything else?" He sighed again, "Tall, but not too tall. Thanks. No, no, it will help and we will find this woman Rick. You have my word. Yep, bye..."

Mallet let his breath out as he hung up and walked back into the open interview room. "Leah's awake." Rafe stood, nearly cracking his head on the two way mirror. Mallet put a hand on his shoulder. "Down boy. Let her be with her family for a bit. Her father said that she has no mental deficits, but is a little bit annoyed that she has no hair. Now, we have the first description."

Rafe closed his eyes, "She meant to kill Leah."

Mallet stared at the spider web of names, some dates, and lines.  
"Or... or maybe she didn't."

Rafe frowned, "What do you mean?"

"When I was a kid I was playing baseball. Some idiot little league pitcher had no control, or maybe he just didn't like that I was three for three that day. Threw it a little too high and tight, whacked me right smack dab in the eye. Felt like my eye was squished like a grape after I woke up. It was fine, but I lost consciousness and when I woke, I couldn't remember what happened. It's a kind of amnesia. Very common when it comes to traumatic brain injuries. Maybe she thought that would happen with Leah."

"Mallet, how do you know all that?"

Mallet tapped his temple. "Lots of TBIs in my life time, though, most of 'em were mild. So, my thought what if our perp..."

"Unsub..." Mallet raised his eyebrows, "What, am I wrong?" Mallet stared at Rafe, "Fine, fine, what were you going to say about our.... perp?"

Mallet moved until he was right by the board. "We have a list of everyone on here in the computer? With the extra stuff we didn't have room for up here?"

Rafe nodded, "Yeah, most of the entries have other stuff, phone numbers, some addresses, occupations."

Rafe sat at the table as Mallet ran his hand across the chart. "How about titles, like Doctor."

"Yeah."

"M.D. versus Ph.D.?"

"Yep."

Mallet turned and looked over Rafe's shoulder. With one hand bracing  
himself on the table. "Separate them out." Rafe did. "Okay, now, we know its a woman, so, no males."

"Bye, bye Doctor Rick. Should I take away those we know?"

"No." Mallet shook his head, "Well, maybe Mel." Mel disappeared from the last. "Gah, still too many. We need something else."

Rafe paused, "Hmmm..." He opened a browser and multiple tabs, all to Google Images. "Maybe since they're Docs, there'll be pictures." He swapped between the names and the browser.

Mallet stayed silent for a bit, then spoke, "That's her, that's her."

oOOOOo

It was Reva who saw her first. "Sonni Carrera?"

The rest of those in the living room looked up and that probably saved Frank and Buzz's lives. Those still at the farmhouse had thinned. The two Coopers, Reva, with Colin asleep in her arms, Jeffrey, Josh, Doris and Casey.

Sonni raised the gun she had and let go two shots. Both Coopers dove away and both managed to get a bullet in the butt instead of somewhere more important.

Sonni wasn't done and had suddenly acquired the need to talk. "It's my turn. You think that you're going to live happily ever after, you get to while no one else does? No, No, NO! It's my turn. You will suffer, you will, you will, you will."

She moved fast, before anyone could react. One second Colin was in his mother's hands, the next he was in Sonni's and the gun had barely moved. Reva jumped forward, but was halted by the gun in her face. "You don't get to save him." She swung the gun around, "None of you do."

She quickly backed out of the house with a now crying Colin still in her arms. Reva started to go after her, but was stopped by both Josh and Jeffrey at nearly the same time. No one stopped Casey though, although Doris wasn't far behind. The former mayor called out the woman's name, but Casey wasn't listening as she sprinted across the lawn.

The truck Sonni had climbed into started to pull away. Casey dove at the bed and somehow managed to catch the rear hatch. Just as Doris watched the truck turn the corner, Casey managed to flip herself over into the bed.

Doris stared after the truck for a moment, then with military precision turned on her heel, passed a freaked out looking Reva and Jeffrey, the former looking as if she wanted to dash after the truck herself, the latter already on the phone with the police, and stormed back into the house and up to Frank, who was on his stomach, very much in pain. Doris didn't care. "You came her to stalk... I'm sorry, surveil Casey, a woman you think is a killer, and you don't bring your GUN?! Are you and idiot?"

Frank groaned, "I've just been shot in the ass, lay off Doris."

Doris pointed at the front door, "Not on your life, because my future just got driven away in the bed of that crazy woman's truck because you suck as a cop. So I will damn well please to you."

Buzz raised his eyebrows from his place on the ground, also in pain. "Future?"


	13. Chapter 13

Casey was not having fun, and she was pretty sure that one of the bumps had ripped the stitches in her side. She really needed to stop doing things without thinking. When Rabbi Rebecca asked Casey to stop by Springfield on the way to wherever she was going to go next. She'd said sure, without thinking. When Blake had offered her the Company job cooking, she'd said yes without more than a half a second of thought. It had worked for eleven years, almost twelve. And then she'd come to Springfield and it had stopped working. Her face had been  
ripped up when she hadn't thought, had just dove to save Emma and Natalia. Half her liver had been taken out, because she'd just given it without a second thought.

And then her 'back of the pick-up' predicament'. She didn't even know who's pink baby it was in the front seat with this Sonni, they all tended to blend together. She also doubted that Sonni had a properly installed child seat in this hunk of rental junk.

oOOOOo

*

"Ma... Ma..." Rafe practically knocked his mother over as he crushed her in a hug. He took a step back. "You're okay? Em's okay?" He paused, "Liv's okay?"

Natalia nodded, "Frank and Buzz are at Cedars, they both got shot in the butt. The woman took Colin, but other than that, everyone's okay." Natalia put her arm over her son's shoulders. "And... and Em..." She closed her eyes with what looked like relief, "She slept through the whole thing."

Rafe hugged his mother to him as they both stood on the farmhouse's front lawn. "That's good Ma. Hey, it wasn't Emma, she's not a baby, she's nine years old. It wasn't her."

Natalia glanced over where Mallet was physically restraining Jeffrey. "Mallet will find Colin for them."

Rafe gently tugged Natalia towards the door of the farmhouse. "Let's go back inside Ma. Go find Liv."

Natalia stopped their progress and put a hand on Rafe's cheek. "You've grown up so much."

"Ah, Ma...." He swallowed, "It's only 'cause of you I am who I am. C'mon, you know you want to go upstairs and join Liv in the staring at Em while she's asleep thing."

Natalia gave Rafe a gentle shove, "Inside smart aleck."

oOOOOo

"Why are you just standing there, Sonni and Casey... they could be working together."

"They're not." Jeffrey whirled towards Doris, managed to get out of Mallet's grip and stalked towards Doris. He tried to put his hand on her, but she hit it away. "Back off O'Neill. Detective?"

Mallet managed to catch Jeffrey before he took a swing at Doris. Jeffrey struggled as he ranted, "What do you know, what do you know damnit?"

Doris glanced behind her. The only ones still on the front lawn where her, Jeffrey, Josh, Mallet, and Reva, but that was more than enough. Buzz had already clued into something back in the house, and then it was like something clicked. She needed people to know more than she was scared of people knowing. It made no sense the sudden change, but then it hadn't made sense that random day years ago when the fact that she liked women had just fallen into place too. For years she'd fought it, she was bi, she was curious, she was.... open to anything and didn't need to be labeled. She'd told herself all that and more.

She'd been talking to her brother on the phone. That was when he was in New Jersey. They'd been talking about something that one of his kids had done, swimming, or some other achievement that really, she wasn't there so she didn't care about, and it was like, 'I'm gay'. Of course, she only realized that she'd actually said it out loud when her brother, the one in the family who could never shut up, was silent for a full thirty seconds. He'd taken it well though, and until pesky Olivia had run into her at Ladies Night had been the only one who knew. 

Doris took a breath and opened her mouth, "I know where she was when Doctor Ramsey was killed."

Reva was unnervingly quiet. "Just because you were with her doesn't mean that they aren't in it together, and why should we even believe you? You were, what, having coffee, because you're such a good friend?"

"I..." She straightened her shoulders, "We were having sex, not coffee." Josh had a stunned look on his face, Jeffrey was frowning, and Reva didn't quite look convinced. Only Mallet seemed interested in the fact that she'd given Casey an alibi versus what the alibi had been. Doris wasn't done yet, "And, why? Why would Casey do any of it. Is she the most polished of folks? No, that doesn't make her a murderer. She knows no one in this town except the Rabbi... Rebecca."

Reva shot back, "Why would Sonni either. Last I'd heard she was doing great in San Francisco. Her practice was flourishing, crazies all around I guess."

"It wasn't crazies."

Everyone looked over. Ava stood there, supported by Sam. Mallet frowned and spoke, though he didn't take his hands off of Jeffrey. "How do you know?"

Ava glanced at Sam, who squeezed her tighter. "I was sitting at a restaurant in San Francisco. At the next table over I heard... I think something about Company or how good Buzz's burgers are, or something. So I introduced myself. She seemed nice. She had what seemed like a boring practice from what she said, but she seemed to love it. Helping couples reconnect, helping people be their best. I... it only got weird at the very end. She asked about people back home, and... more sp... she asked about you Reva. I..." Ava sighed and stared at the  
ground, "It's my fault, all this is my fault. I am so, so sorry."

Reva stared at Ava for a long moment. "You told her... what?"

"That when my mother had come for a visit she'd told me about Colin, and how you'd survived the cancer with flying colors... again. How Shane and Josh were doing great too. Something about Shane sucking at Rock Band when he's drunk, and her getting a bruise..." Ava shook her head, "And she told me that you were back to your pain in the ass self, uh..." Ava blinked at Reva, "My mom's... uh, those were Olivia's words, not mine."

Mallet interrupted, "And then?"

Ava sighed, "It was like she turned herself off or something. I... I moved to San Francisco to get away from crazy. I excused myself and got the hell out of there. Her eyes were so, so dead, so cold and her hand had started to shake. I..." Ava leaned into her uncle, "I didn't think she'd come out here and, and hurt people, and kill that Doctor. It was an innocent conversation."

Jeffrey seemed to have gotten control of himself. He even asked his question in a calm, normal voice. "Was Casey there? In San Francisco?" Ava shook her head. Jeffrey pushed Mallet's arms away and turned, "Has she ever been anywhere near San Francisco?"

"Closest would be Vegas, years ago. And, no, I didn't see any reference to a Doctor Carrera."

Sam finally spoke up, "So, maybe, Casey just wanted to help save Reva's kid?"

oOOOOo

Casey stared over the truck bed's edge at the ground rushing by. She knew they were going over rocks and dirt, but Sonni was going so fast that it just looked like muddled brown to Casey.

But her hastily thought up plan didn't involve being in the back of the truck to be found when Sonni came to a stop. Casey got her feet under her and winced. She put her hand down to where her stitches were supposed to be, and it came back up with blood.

She closed her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "It's only pain, it's only pain, it's only..." She was over the side and slammed hard into the ground. She rolled, and rolled and rolled, and then when her momentum stopped, she made herself roll a bit more.

Finally she came to a stop and just lay there for half a second. "Thank you." She slowly crouched and turned, watching as the truck parked next to the only house for miles. "Now... if you would be so kind, I just need a teensy bit of help here, with the whole stayin' alive for at least a little while longer." She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them, stood to her full height and started towards the house.

oOOOOo

"She still out there?"

Natalia nodded as Olivia joined her at the front door and they both stared out of its window. "Josh, Jeffrey, Doris and Mallet went out to search. Ava and Sam, I finally convinced them to go back to the Beacon."

Olivia was silent for a moment, "And Buzz and..." She trailed off.

"...and Frank? They're fine, though, they'll be sitting on donuts for a while."

Olivia tried to stop it, she would have sworn in front of a judge and jury of her peers that she tried her damndest to stop it, but still the laugh, and those that followed exploded from her gut. And she laughed and laughed and laughed. In between bouts she'd keep repeating, 'sorry, sorry'. But with the picture stuck in her head of Frank Cooper sitting on a butt donut... It was like when she saw the crazy Ikea ad with the 'start the car' lady, she just couldn't help but laugh.

Finally Olivia got control of herself. Olivia blinked as Natalia put a hand on her cheek and wiped the tears she'd laughed out. Olivia caught Natalia's hands in her own. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

Natalia smiled, "Did you see the cookies I started? I bake, you have inappropriate reactions to random things. We're both scared for Emma... Are you going to talk to her?"

Olivia looked back out the door, "Reva? I suppose." She kissed Natalia, "Save me a cookie. Oh, Natalia..."

Natalia brushed Olivia's hair out of her eyes, "I know the plan was for you to go to the Beacon. But, once you get Reva to either come in or go home, you're not going anywhere."

Olivia finally let go of Natalia and went outside. She came to a stop next to Reva. "It's not the summer. It's going to get cold."

Reva didn't move. "Are you kicking me off your property?"

"Nope. I figure you have three choices. One, go home. Two, come into the house. You're welcome to. Natalia's idea, not mine. Or three, I bring out an army blanket I have in the garage, wool, the real thing. It'd probably keep you reasonably warm tonight." 

Reva still didn't move, staring down at the drive where Casey, Sonni, and her son Colin had disappeared. "What if it were Emma?"

"Natalia would have knocked me out hours ago so I wouldn't go after Jellybean. Where are Jeffrey and Josh?"

Reva shook her head and started to speak as Josh screeched to a halt in front of them. "Reva, get in."

Reva did and without another word Josh roared off. Olivia stared at the dust cloud for a second before she shook her head and went back inside.

She met Natalia in the kitchen taking out a batch of chocolate chocolate chip cookies. "What's up?"

"I think they may have found Colin."

Natalia sighed, "Took them long enough, how many hours has it been? Three, four?"

"For Reva. Too many." Olivia picked up a still warm and gooey cookie and put it  
into her mouth. Almost immediately she had to open her mouth again, "Ww... www... hte hte, mlk, mlk... nee mlk..."

Natalia shook her head and chuckled as she opened the fridge.

oOOOOo

Both were fast asleep when Mallet and two SFPD officers rushed into the house. The only one awake was a bound, gagged, and fighting to get free Sonni. But across the room from the crazy lady against a dormant fireplace sat a cross legged Casey. Her head rested against the stones and her face looked more peaceful than Mallet had ever seen it before.

And safely in her arms slept a softly snoring Colin, the slightest of smiles on his face.

Mallet lowered his gun and put on the safety. He put a hand on Casey's shoulder and she jerked awake and pulled away from him. Bringing Colin closer to her chest. She sighed when she saw it was Mallet.

She stood with a grimace, "Sorry... little edgy and a little bit in pain." She gently handed Colin to one of the Officers.

The other Officer led the still trussed up Sonni out the way they'd come, leaving Mallet and Casey alone. "What happened?"

Casey shook her head as she held her side. "She was surprised, had put Colin down on the bed. Kid was putting up a hell of a racket. I'm surprised the neighbors didn't call something in?"

"The nearest neighbors are..."

"I know that Detective. He was making a hell of a racket. Uh, not to complain, but I'd love it if I could get a ride to Cedars. Get yelled at by some people and get some new stitches."

Mallet blinked, "Oh, yes, of course. I'll take you myself, see how Frank and Buzz are doing." He stared to put an arm around Casey, but stopped mid motion. "Do you..."

Casey smirked just a little to herself, "Need help gettin' to your car? Depends on how much paperwork you want to do."

Mallet frowned, "What?"

"Paperwork, if I keel over, bit the bullet, die. Yes Detective, I would like a hand to your car."


	14. Chapter 14

"You have a death wish."

"And you told people you were gay."

"Neither of us are dead." Doris stood from the chair by the wall of the hospital room and went to Casey's bedside. "Though you seem in pain."

Casey raised an eyebrow, "I didn't cause myself this many injuries when I was a kid, and I was a 'kick your ass' tomboy with issues as a kid."

"No, really?"

Casey swung her legs off the side of the bed, and sat there for a moment. "I need to get out of here."

Doris put a hand on Casey's shoulder, "Are you sure? Isn't that what got you into most of the this mess in the first place?" Doris shook her head, "I retract that statement. But, after I get you sprung, again, we're going to Natalia and Olivia's wedding. Or whatever they're calling it this week."

"Those are my choices? Here, or the wedding? I don't even know them."

Doris took a step back, "But you're family, and she doesn't have much family left."

Casey slid to the ground and reached under the bed for her things. "Why do you care so much about whether or not I accept her as family. Whether or not I tell her?"

"Soft heart? And in the past year I've realized Olivia is a... nice... woman and maybe even could be a friend?" Casey paused halfway through putting on her pants. "No huh? Uh... how about because all of a sudden I'm in need of a job. I thought maybe I'd pitch being the Beacon's new lawyer, the last one couldn't have been that good..."

Casey pulled on her shirt, "You're good, you almost had me believing the second explanation was the true one."

"Almost?"

Casey shrugged. They stood there, silent. Two forces. Each waiting, neither speaking.

Doris was the one who broke first, "Will you come with me?"

"Sure, what the hell. Should be interesting, and touching."

"...and wet."

Casey frowned, "Huh?"

"Well, I heard it was supposed to rain."

Casey finished putting on her shoes. "Are you happy or sad about that Doris Wolfe?"

Doris smirked, "I haven't decided yet."

oOOOOo

"Gah..." Olivia nearly jumped out of her skin and managed to bash her head into Natalia's nose as she came abruptly awake. "Natalia... oh..." She carefully drew Natalia's hands away from the injured nose and carefully inspected it. Ending the inspection with a kiss. "I am so sorry. I was dreaming that Bill, and Phillip, and Alan, and Jeffrey, and Josh were all chasing me. Reva, and Beth, and Lizzie and Harley were al watching them, us, and laughing their heads off, and Emma was just sitting there crying, always just out of my reach. Uh... how long have you been watching me sleep?"

Natalia shrugged, "All night."

Olivia frowned, "Are you alright?"

"It's just nerves, I mean, look what happened at my last two weddings, my only two weddings. One I nearly kill you, the next I break Frank's heart."

"We don't have to do this if you're not sure..."

"No... I'm sure. You're not getting out of this Olivia Spencer." Olivia smiled as Natalia's eyes went to the closed door of their room. "C'mon in jellybean, we can hear you breathing..."

Emma shot into the room like her butt was on fire. Though she didn't launch herself onto the bed like she usually did. She came to Natalia's side and got on the bed with a helping heft by Natalia. She climbed over Natalia and snuggled herself between the two women. "Rafe already left, but I was up and he promised to come back before the wedding."

Olivia ran a hand through Emma's hair and the child snuggled against her side. "You know that we can't get married, married here in Springfield, right kiddo?"

Emma opened her eyes and blinked up at her Mom, "Not yet, but the poopy heads'll change their minds." The young girl yawned, "Or I'll change their minds."

Before long Emma was fast asleep, both women just reclined and watched the precocious one breathe in and out. It was Natalia who broke the silence. "A politician?"

Olivia smiled, "I was hoping more a rocket scientist, or the one who cures Cancer or AIDS or something."

Natalia stared down at Emma and joined her hand with Olivia's just above the girl's head. "I think she'll be a pastor."

Olivia bit her lip so she wouldn't laugh out loud and wake said future pastor. "That Natalia, that would be ironic. First female Catholic priest perhaps?"

Natalia smiled right back, "She could do it." They fell silent, but the question that had been percolating in Natalia for weeks, months even finally popped out. "Do you ever think about..."

"...another child? Sometimes, have you?"

Natalia shrugged, "It'd be crazy... stupid..."

"Why?"

Their gazes met. "You mean?" Natalia was struck dumb, "You... wha... I..."

Olivia gently raised Emma and slid under so that she was next to Natalia. "I'm not saying we should or shouldn't. What brought this up?"

Natalia shrugged, "I don't know. I grew up with just one brother..."

Olivia chuckled, "Just one? Just one brother seems like enough for me."

Natalia gave Olivia the 'you're starting to push it' look, then continued, "I've sort of always wanted a large family." She glanced at Emma. "Probably why I sorta latched onto this one."

"Hey, no depressing past talk. And if I remember correctly, I was sucking at being a mother at that point. There was no latching, alright? You think that if Emma didn't like you, she wouldn't tell me, or... or anyone?" Natalia dropped her head and nodded. "And... I believe we have something to do today, so, enough lollygagging around I think."

Natalia shook Emma, who blinked, "Hey jellybean, time to get up and get ready for today."

Emma yawned, "Okay..." She bit her lip, "Rafe will come back right?"

Natalia's eyes flashed and both Spencers knew that Rafe'd be there. "Oh, if he knows what's good for him."

oOOOOo

"Damn it was so much fun. And I wasn't even really doin' anything, but watching and drawing this crazy Springfield wide family tree. I should go in and ask Mallet for it, put it up in the basement of the farmhouse for Em."

A groan came from the bed, "So, is Emma the only woman in your life, you talk about her wayy too much."

Rafe laughed and then sighed, "Well, there's Harley, step-mom extraordinaire... sorta, though, when someone sneaks out you of the country, if she was ever married to your Dad she's your step-mom. Then there's Em... my sis.. mostly, and my cousin for sure. There's Olivia, my, I don't know what the hell she is to me. Ava, who's nice, but I don't really know, and of course, there's Ma. If it comes down to it..." Rafe shrugged, "She's the only one who really counts. How're you?"

"Woozy, in pain, did I mention, pain?" Leah let go a sigh. "And bald."

"Aw, c'mon, you look beautiful."

Leah laughed, then winced, "Good line. My mom said you were here when I was unconscious, why?"

Rafe shrugged, "Emma was going through her liver transplant, failure, whatever. I... I couldn't watch her, and Ma, go through that."

Leah closed her eyes, "Oh, how romantic. Would you like a Mulligan?"

A smile came to Rafe's face. "Well, I had fallen deeply and utterly in love and couldn't bear to leave your side. Is that better?"

Leah's eyes opened as she smiled, "Much better. So, you want to be a cop, a Detective, why aren't you?"

Rafe sighed, "I sorta shot Jeffrey O'Neill."

"Sorta?"

Rafe shrugged, "I was screwed up inside. I didn't think much, didn't realize it would hurt the rest of my life. Hey, we're young'uns, we're supposed to screw up our lives... I just didn't know at the time I was screwin' over my dream too."

oOOOOo

"Hmmm..."

Doris came up behind Casey, "Hey, where'd you get to?"

Casey turned, "Just... wandering the halls, did you know that the two patients in room four have quite a thing going? Whew..."

Doris furrowed her eyebrows at the door in front of them, "This is room one."

"I know that. Wandering, remember? Am I sufficiently sprung?"

Doris pulled Casey down the hall. "Let's call it probation. If I have to sit through the mush fest, you're coming too. After that... you can escape Springfield once and for all."

"I'm still surprised though. I would have thought you'd want to appear in public alone for a while."

Doris squared her shoulders as they got to the door that left Cedars. "In for a penny, in for a pound."

Casey paused mid stride and chuckled. Doris had a confused look on her face, "What's so funny?"

Casey continued out the door, "I just got that saying."

oOOOOo

Frank stood at the window that looked into the interrogation room. "What happened to the giant town family tree that was up in there?"

"Packed it up for Rafe. He said he'd come by and pick it up on the way to the farmhouse. I feel bad. He wasn't too shabby helpin' me out."

Frank smirked, then winced as he shifted from leg to leg and his gluteus maximus muscles pulled. "Don't tell the Chief that."

"Think there's a way to get the felony off his record?"

Frank shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "Trust me Mallet, I've looked into it. Even Doris or Jeffrey, with their... interesting connections, wouldn't have had enough juice to get it done."

"Spaulding?"

"Maybe, but do you really think Natalia or Olivia would want that particular... favor... hanging over Rafe's head?"

Mallet nodded, "Good point."

They stood, silent, and both turned and watched the woman sitting, cuffed, in the next room. "Has she said anything?" Mallet shook his head, "Think she will?"

Mallet shook his head again, "I don't. I think we need to get someone to do a psych eval in here."

"She said things at the farmhouse though, maybe that's where to start."

"No." Mallet ran a hand over his short cropped hair. "Look, it's your case, you're primary, but... I think we need to get a professional opinion on her. The change Ava described... it seems like she snapped or something."

Frank paused, "You're right. I'm in charge of the investigation. I'm going to get in there..."

Mallet removed his holster from his side. "And I'm taking off. I said I'd help with the set up for Olivia and Natalia's wedding."

"Mallet."

Mallet shook his head. "I'm running on empty. I need to go home, beg my wife's forgiveness, kiss my son, and help Olivia with her wedding. Hell, I'll probably be the only guy there who hasn't slept with her." He patted Frank on the shoulder. "Good luck Frank, I think you'll need it."

oOOOOo

The farmhouse hadn't seen quite so much activity in quite a long time. In the backyard Josh, Jeffrey, Shane and Sam were setting up chairs for the ceremony, while Phillip seemed to be directing them. Meanwhile, Ava, Dinah, and of all people Marina were inside setting up for the reception.

No one knew where Rafe was, and Natalia and Emma had disappeared somewhere, taking Natalia's car. And of course, Olivia was in charge of it all.

Olivia glanced around. It was a bit weird as she thought about it. Over a year or so ago she had more enemies than friends. Phillip had recently taken Emma. Bill was crazy and wanting nothing to do with Olivia. And Natalia hated her guts. Natalia would and had disagreed with that fact, but Olivia knew in her heart it was true.

A year before, people wouldn't have crossed the street to spit on Olivia if she had been on fire. And there they were decorating, and setting up, and caring for some reason.

Olivia closed her eyes, "Don't screw this up Liv, don't screw it up." She turned and nearly slammed into Buzz. "Oh, Buzz..."

"Do you love her, Natalia?" Olivia nodded, "Are you planning on breaking her heart?"

"I never plan to screw up relationships."

Buzz led Olivia all the way into the backyard. "Look..." Olivia didn't. "Please Olivia, look."

Olivia finally looked up, "I know what it..."

"Shush for a second motor mouth. What do you see?"

"They're setting up chairs. Soon they'll start on the arbor. Probably all pull their backs out."

Buzz smiled to himself, "Josh... you and he were married. How do you get along now?"

Olivia shrugged, "Alright, we flirt, sometimes he tries to explain to me this thing called Christianity, doesn't seem to matter that he's no longer a pastor."

Buzz nodded, "And Jeffrey. He raped you, then married you. How're you two doing?"

"Fine I guess. We talk sometimes. Give each other updates on Ava. He's going to lose Reva to Josh soon. We were different people two decades ago."

Buzz hid his smile, "And Phillip... you must hate him."

Olivia shook her head, "No, I mean, I think I'll never quite trust him, but if I ever manage to get Natalia to take a honeymoon, hell, any trip longer than a weekend, I was thinking of letting him take care of Em."

Buzz raised his eyebrows, "You'll let Emma come near Alan?"

Olivia gave a short, bitter laugh, "Not on your life. I will suggest that they stay at the Beacon, on me..."

"And Bill, I thought I heard you tell him at the rehearsal dinner to bring Lizzie?"

"I did."

"I'm here too. Tell me you're seeing my point Olivia."

Olivia sighed and turned to Buzz. "I don't really screw up things, because somehow I've come to be at least civil with four out of my five husbands? This isn't the same..."

Buzz frowned, "Because she's a woman?"

"Because... Josh was because I was lonely, I was new and I was reeling from San Cristobal. Alan... I wanted to be something, and when he became, when I finally saw who he really was and what I had gotten into, I had what I thought was a newer, less crazy version of Spaulding power. Phillip. I was wrong." Olivia bit her lip, "Bill, Bill was for Emma. Frank..." Olivia shook her head, "I can't explain Frank." She took a breath and dragged a hand through her hair. "And Jeffrey, I was scared of dying, Gus wouldn't marry me, but Jeffrey would."

Buzz was still, perfectly still. "These, these are all just as valid reasons."

Olivia wasn't done. "This isn't the same because, I'm not doing it for Emma, or for money, or power. She's a single mother from Chicago. I'm not doing it because I'm lonely, or scared either. I love her and even if she could never love me back, I would still be here, loving her."

"But she does love you Olivia. You just need to make sure that you let her love you. And think sometimes before you speak Olivia..."

He chuckled and Olivia rolled her eyes. They watched the other men working for a bit. "Ask it Buzz..."

Buzz asked the question in his best joking whiney voice, but there was a vulnerable worried tone underneath his joking, "What about me?"

Olivia put a hand on Buzz's chest with a smile, "I loved, I love you, but..."

Buzz put a hand over Olivia's mouth, "No buts, I'm not going to hear you love me like a brother, or father, or..."

Olivia removed Buzz's hand, "Friends. I love you like a friend, and maybe more. If I had to pick anyone other than Natalia to spend the rest of my life with, to help raise Emma..."

"More than I already do..."

Olivia rolled her eyes, "To quote someone I know, shush... You would be it Buzz Cooper." She removed her hand and took a step back, "Now, I need to go, uh... I have something I need to do. If Natalia and Emma get back before I do..."

Buzz smiled, "I will tell them you'll be back." He raised his eyebrows, "You will be back?"

"Ha... keep your day job Buzz." She made her way back towards the house. As she left he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned, "Alex? What're you doing here?"

"Well, Buzz, I am Emma's..." Alex trailed off.

"Great Aunt."

Alex clapped Buzz on the back, "Exactly, and... I couldn't miss this, the man-eater, marrying of all people, a woman... to unique to miss."

oOOOOo

"Doesn't Mommy want all white?"

Natalia smiled. "She does. But, everything all white is boring, wouldn't you say?"

Emma smiled, "Ok. Oooh, I see it Natalia, I see it." Emma looked up. "Is it okay?"

Natalia frowned as the cake came out and looked down at Emma. She knelt in front of the girl. "Is what okay jellybean?"

"To call you Natalia. I changed my mind I think."

Natalia ruffled Emma's hair, "It's perfectly okay Em." She stood back up, "Now, does this look good enough to eat?"

Emma nodded. As Natalia and the baker talked about the delivery etc. Emma wandered to the window and climbed onto a chair. She stared out the window, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.

She jumped when Natalia put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Hey Em. Are you okay?"

Emma swallowed, "Are you going to hurt Mommy? Leave like Daddy?"

Natalia sat down across from the child and took Emma's hands in her own. "I'm going to try my very best not to."

Emma bit the inside of her lip. "Are you going to let Mommy... screw it up?" Emma spoke the words as if she weren't quite sure what she meant by them.

Natalia frowned, "Emma, when did you hear that? Who told you that. Grandpa Alan?"

Emma shook her head, "No. You were downstairs making breakfast. Mommy thought I was too. She was mumbling it to herself."

Natalia let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "I promise you that I won't let that happen. Alright?"

Emma was silent and seemed to be thinking about it for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. Can we go home? I want to get into my dress and get all ready."

Natalia bowed and gestured to the door. "Lead the way Lady Em. We have something we need to do when we get home too..." Emma laughed as she jumped from the chair and pushed open the door. Making sure to hold it for Natalia.

oOOOOo

Frank had tried everything he could think of. He'd snagged an officer and played good cop, bad cop. He'd gone at her hard, and soft. Nothing was working. Perhaps mallet was right, and he should call in a Psychologist or Psychiatrist. First he'd try one more thing though.

He sighed as he stood. He knew he'd become a joke, he just didn't know when. Or maybe he'd always been a joke, but he'd had Harley and Gus, even Marina, by his side so it wasn't so noticeable. When you had that much family in the room, all of whom carried side arms, you didn't get ragged on.

He just wanted to get this right. Nail the woman who'd killed Doctor Claire Ramsey and terrorized his friends. Even if it did get thrown out later because she was loonier than a fruit cake.

One last try.

He entered the interrogation room and sat down. For a bit he didn't say anything. This was Flutie to whoever the hell he threw it too, it was the Cubs finally winning the series, it was a Par 5 hole in one. He didn't want to rush himself. Finally he leaned back and played his cards. "There's a wedding today. Olivia and Natalia's. I'm not sure if you even knew them. You killed Claire, one of Olivia's old friends because she recognized you. You met Ava, Olivia's daughter in San Francisco. Talked with her I think." Frank sighed, "It was supposed to be me, to both of them at different times. But, my Dad won the first round, won Olivia, now Natalia chooses Olivia."

Frank closed his eyes and folded his hands over his stomach. "It hurts not being the one picked huh? When I first found out about them. I had anger piling on top of anger. Got myself beaten up pretty good. I mean when we love someone with every ounce of our being and they just... don't love us back." He shook his head, and fell silent, waiting.

Frank honestly thought he'd have to wait longer. Not to mention he had been 99% sure it wouldn't work at all.

And then she spoke, "He was all. No one was ever there for me, and she always wins... and wins... and wins, and wins."

"Reva. But Sonni... why each family?"

Sonni threw her arms in the air, "All contributed, all should pay. No one gets to stand around and watch without paying..."

"What about Emma, Sonni. She did nothing to you..."

"His... she's his..."

Frank frowned, "Josh's? No, no, Emma's father is Phillip Spaulding."

Sonni poked her finger into the table with each word. "No. His, she's his, his, his... but she didn't die, I couldn't make them die."

Frank leaned forward and softened his voice, "Maybe in your heart you couldn't really kill them"

"No, she has to die. They all have to die. No one can be happy, they can't, they can't..."

A throat cleared in the doorway of the room. Frank looked up, "Mel..."

Mel simply raised an eyebrow and Frank stood. "The room's yours. Just tell Tommy when you're done."

oOOOOo

Olivia pulled into the farmhouse driveway. Natalia's car was back in its usual place, and all of the other cars had cleared out. That was good, because Olivia wasn't sure how Natalia was going to take her surprise.

oOOOOo

Emma went to went to one of the front windows. She started to speak, then frowned. Two older people were with her mother. She called to the kitchen. "Natalia... Mommy's home."

Natalia came into the living room as Olivia and the other two people came through the front door of the farmhouse. Natalia froze, dish towel in hand, and her mouth dropped open. "Mama? Dad?"

Olivia swallowed. She sort of looked as though she was preparing to be whacked. "It's Maximiano, Max, and Rosa Rivera... surprise..."


	15. Chapter 15

"You're not my step mom."

"Okay."

"Sometimes I don't even like you."

"That's fair, sometimes I don't like myself."

Rafe gave Olivia a look that conveyed that he didn't quite believe the older woman. "Seriously. You're... you're kick ass Olivia Spencer Lewis Spaulding, blah, blah, blah..."

"Blah?"

Rafe rolled his eyes, "Stands for 'insert name of former husband here'. 'Kay?"

Olivia held her hands up. "Blah. What do you really want to say to me Rafe?"

"You don't get to call me Raphael."

Olivia nodded, "That's fair. You're Rafe. Anything else?"

Rafe took a step forward, then another, and wrapped his arms around Olivia. 

Olivia was caught off guard, but after a moment she wrapped her arms around the young man and hugged back. It was only a moment later that Rafe took a step back. "Okay..."

Olivia wasn't done though. "Rafe, anytime you need anything..."

"...you'll be there. Yeah, okay..."

Olivia gripped Rafe's arm and waited until he looked directly at her. "I'm not talking about bailing you out of jail, or giving you blood or, or whatever. Anything Rafe. Do we understand each other?"

Rafe raised his eyebrows, and Olivia's gaze didn't waver. "Uh, yeah. Sure.."

He fiddled with his bow tie, pulling it this way and that way. Olivia bumped his hands away and adjusted the tie until it looked right. "You look handsome."

Rafe rolled his eyes, "Sure... sure. Just like my Dad right?"

Olivia shook her head, "No, no, right this second, you look like your mother's son." She gave him a shove. "Now, would you get Ava. Oh, and do you know where daughter number two is?"

"I think she's woo-in' Ma's parents. Can't believe you got them to come here. They told her eighteen years ago to decide, either adoption or get the hell out. She chose me." He shook his head, "Still don't know why she did that."

Olivia smiled, "Sometimes, you just have to let your mother do whatever's in her heart. She hasn't gone wrong following it yet."

oOOOOo

Natalia sat on her bed, Emma tucked in at her side watching both the elder Riveras and Natalia. "Mama... I would have thought. Why are you here? It's been 18 years, and... It's been 18 years."

"We're not here to judge, or to... Yes, it's been 18 years. We have changed, just as you have Natty."

Emma's nose scrunched as she looked at Natalia's mother. "Natty?"

Natalia smiled down at the girl, "A nickname from when I was a kid."

Emma shook her head, "Funny sounding." Emma sat up straighter. "I like your real name Natalia."

Natalia hugged Emma close, "Hey, it's almost time for everything to start. You should find your Mom. I bet she's in the other room."

Emma stood and kissed Natalia on the cheek. "Bye Natalia." She turned to Max and Rosa. "Bye Natalia's Mom and Dad." And with that she practically skipped out of the room.

Max had watched the young girl leave and turned back to face his daughter. "She's precious... and so much like you when you were that age."

"Mama... Dad. She's not my child. Please, why are you here, now? I finally..." She trailed off.

"Olivia called us about a month ago. Since then, we've... talked." Max put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "We are not here to interfere Natalia."

Rosa nodded, "We're just here for you. And if you love Olivia as much as she seems to love you... I'm glad that we're here to see this day. And... perhaps..." Rosa couldn't hold her daughter's gaze and looked down at the ground. "Meet your son?"

There was a knock on the door. "Are you decent Ma?"

Natalia frowned and glanced between the door and her parents. "Yeah, yes, come in Rafe."

Rafe stuck his head in first, his fingers splayed across his eyes. "Are you..." Rafe dropped his hands at the same time that he mouth dropped open. "Ma, you're gorgeous."

Natalia turned crimson and cleared her throat. "Uh, Rafe, these are my parents, your grandparents, Max and Rosa. Mama, Dad... this is my son, Raphael Maximiano Rivera."

"Ooh, he's the reason for my middle name Ma..." Natalia shot Rafe a look and he turned to the two older adults. He gripped Max's outstretched hand. "Good to meet you." He turned to Rosa and paused. He didn't quite know what to do, but since it had worked minutes ago, he put a hand on her shoulder and brought the shorter woman into a hug, and then she was sobbing on her grandson's shoulder. Rafe looked up at his mother, who had a teary smile on her face.

Rafe finally pulled away and took a step towards his mother. "I... uh... just came from Liv's room. She's getting ready. I sorta grilled her, but she's still doing it."

"Raphael."

Max smiled, "He has a point Natalia. If the son of her to be... um..." He trailed off. "If Rafe could scare off Olivia she shouldn't be pledging to spend the rest of her life with you." He put an arm around his wife. "Anyway, we'll leave you two alone."

"Dad..."

Max held a hand up, "We'll be here after. I... we'll be here." With that, he led Rosa out of the room.

Rafe watched them go. "I have more grandparents." He turned back to Natalia. "Real grandparents?"

Natalia sighed and stared at her son, "Do you mean, they won't try to control you and use you in their schemes and plans? You mean two working class citizens who aren't spoiled rich Spauldings? Then yes." She paused, "Raphael, I'm sor..."

"No, Ma, no apologies. We go forward right. Always to the next thing. You get fired, no worries, get another job. Somebody shuts you down, you keep on keepin' on and get on with your life. And I've..." He swiped at his eyes, "I've never needed anyone but you Ma. Whatever happens..."

Natalia interrupted Rafe as she hugged him hard. "Whatever happens."

oOOOOo

People were arriving again, this time in their nice clothes, for the ceremony. Doris and Casey walked hand in hand into the backyard, at the same time that Ashlee crutched towards the house to retrieve a flower arrangement that had just been delivered, late. Doris nearly jumped out of her shoes, and dropped Casey's hand like a hot potato. "Oh, Ashlee..."

Casey pointed at a point on the other side of the gathering. "I'm gonna disappear now."

"Casey..." Doris sighed as Casey ignored her and kept walking. She turned to face her daughter. "Ashlee..."

"Mom, I've known for... years, maybe even a decade. It's okay." She glanced around, "This should be a nice wedding, even if I didn't plan it..."

Doris frowned, "Are you sure you're okay with... everything? It's okay if you're not."

"I'm fine. I'm Gen Y right. I don't want... details..." She shuddered. "But really, I'm okay with it. Don't worry about me." Ashlee shrugged, "Though I may use it against you in the future when I want something."

"Oh?"

Ashlee looked at her mother with every ounce of 'Bambi' she had in her, "Of course not Mom. I would never do that."

Doris shook her head and chuckled. "Ah, Ashlee..."

Ashlee glanced over Doris' shoulder and met Casey's gaze. "You know, she's not that bad. Casey. Her childhood seriously sucked, but... whose didn't right?"

"Ashlee Wolfe."

Ashlee held a hand up, "I know, I won't come anywhere near your love life. I'm just sayin'. You could do worse, right?" With that she continued her slow journey towards the farmhouse, leaving Doris there alone. After a moment the former Mayor turned and met Casey's eyes herself with a small smile.

oOOOOo

Natalia stuck her in Olivia's old bedroom. Olivia was the only one in it. "Oh, Wow." It was an off the shoulder white dress that fit close to Olivia's body and accentuated everything that Natalia considered perfect about the older woman's body. "You look... amazing Olivia."

Natalia was wearing the same dress she'd worn to her aborted wedding with Frank. Olivia and Natalia had gone back and forth on whether she should. Natalia had repeated over and over that the only reason she'd kept the dress, or even worn the dress for her previous try was for Olivia.

In the end, Olivia had given in, and, as usual, Natalia had been right. When Olivia looked at the young woman the last thing on her mind was where Natalia had worn it previously. "You're..." A frown came over her face. "What are you doing here?"

Natalia sighed and came all the way in the room, closing the door behind her. "You're not going to claim that we can't see each other or it'll all go to crap, are you?"

Olivia smiled, though she didn't move towards Natalia. "No, and you look astoundingly beautiful. But, really, why are you here now? Everything alright?"

"Yes, yes, fine. I just had something for you."

"Natalia."

Natalia cut Olivia off. "You won't screw this up Olivia. I know that. You need to believe it too..."

Olivia sighed, "Did Buzz tell you?"

"Emma..." She brought her hand out from behind her back. "Will you open this. Please?" She handed Olivia the skinny wrapped package.

Olivia took it and carefully undid the bright violet wrapping paper. She pulled out what looked like a homemade book. It was construction paper tied with white yarn. She read the title out loud, "Olivia's guide to Natalia, illustrated by Emma Spencer." Olivia smiled as she opened it. Natalia stayed perfectly silent as Olivia read through it. Front to back, all five pages.

She finally looked up and over at Natalia. "Thank you, this is... hilarious and..." Olivia raised an eyebrow, "Quite informative, though it doesn't have your most... important... dislikes and likes I think."

Olivia took a step towards Natalia, who held up a hand with a laugh. "I figured Emma shouldn't be illustrating those. And.."

"My brain knows that I can't unilaterally screw this up, but my heart... it hasn't quite caught up."

Natalia swished over to Olivia in her dress and placed a hand over said heart. "That's surprising, because, I'm pretty sure that your heart knew that we were forever before your brain did." Natalia trailed off for a moment before she continued, never moving her hand, "I trust that we are forever. We'll get you there too..."

Olivia leaned down and her lips came to an abrupt stop, resting against Natalia's fingers. "Nope."

Olivia sighed and took two steps back, "That's for your parents huh?"

Natalia's hands dropped to her side. "What were you thinking? They... they basically threw me out with no support system. For eighteen years... they're not my family, not anymore."

Olivia nodded, "I... I didn't think. But if you." Olivia stopped speaking and started again, "Let them spend today watching you ooh and awww over how I make your life complete, kiss me, and then you never have to seem them again. But..." Olivia plunged on, "But ask yourself this. Shouldn't Rafe have a chance to know his grandparents?" Olivia put a hand on Natalia's shoulder and nearly jumped for joy when it didn't get shrugged off. "Some wise woman once convinced me to let my daughter have the choice to see her father. Even though I didn't think he was worth knowing."

Natalia hurfed out a breath, "You actually listen?" Olivia chuckled, "Okay, fine, fine. And they didn't go all, you're going to hell either. I was surprised."

"Going to hell because I'm a woman?"

Natalia gave a chuckle, "Nope, because you're not Catholic."

oOOOOo

"You're sure? Hey, this is important..." Casey was silent. "Yeah, yeah..." She rolled her eyes, even though whoever was on the other side of the phone line couldn't see her. "How 'bout you try 'we're almost even'. Yeah, yep. I'm at a wedding. Just leave a yay or nay on my voicemail. Later."

"So, who was that?"

Casey turned as she closed her phone, "Just a friend." She glanced around from her seat. "Are they gonna get this thing started?"

Doris sat down next to Casey. "Tell me what happened?"

Casey looked up at the sky, the clouds going by were starting be more gray than white. She wondered if Olivia and Natalia would even get this dream wedding in before the rains came. She threaded her fingers behind her head. "I haven't even told Mallet, Frank, or even your cousin, why do you think I'd tell you?"

Doris didn't answer the question, "Tell me."

Casey shrugged, "I went..."

Casey stopped speaking as Doris' hand went over her mouth. It didn't move for a minute, and Casey got the point. When Doris removed it, Casey shook her head. "You're crazy Doris Wolfe. Sometimes you don't even seem like a Doris, more of a... I don't know..."

"Casey?" She paused, "If you really don't want to tell me, just... tell me that."

"I, uh, fell out of the truck before she got to the house. Limped towards it. She was in the living room, sitting there and just rocking back and forth with Colin in her arms. There was..." Casey paused, "There was a fire going in the fireplace. I, uh. You may not be Mayor, but you're still a lawyer, so let's say, I 'got in' the back door. She was so wrapped up in, whatever was going on in her head I just snuck up on her, whapped her on the head and got to Colin before she took him down with her."

Doris frowned, "But, there was no fire when Mallet got there."

"Put it out after I tied her up."

"You... got in?"

Casey shrugged, "Sure."

"I should stop now?" Casey put an arm around the back of Doris' chair. "See, I can learn... was that a rain drop?"

There was a crack of thunder, practically piggy backing on its lighting, and then the skies opened and everyone was moving and jostling.

Doris stood up for a second and smiled up at the sky, then dashed back towards the house with everyone else.

It was still in quite an uproar when Rabbi Rebecca walked in the front door five minutes later. She slowly made her way through the house to the back and out the door. Under the overhang stood six people clustered together. Doris, Casey, and both brides, as well as Rafe and Emma.

Rebecca gave Casey a quick hug. "We should talk, but before that. Are you two going to be needing my non-denominational services today?" She glanced out where everything was still getting soaked by rain. "Are we going to wait it out?"

Surprisingly, to Rebecca at least, it was Emma who spoke up. "I looked at NOAA, it's all over us for a long, long time."

Natalia stared for a bit longer, then looked to Olivia. "It's only rain."

Olivia looked down at her dress and back out towards the back yard. "And, you only wear these things once... well, some of us only wear them once."

Natalia gave Olivia a push and held on. "Ha, ha..."

Doris rolled her eyes, "And people really should have watched the forecast and brought umbrellas."

Natalia shook her head. "People can stay under here, or watch through the windows as well if they'd like."

Rebecca nodded and then bit the inside of her lip. "Yes, I uh... don't have an umbrella with me, and I haven't done any of this in a while, so I may..."

"Doris'll give you hers."

Doris turned to Casey. "I will not. I'm supposed to go out there and get soaked?"

Casey smirked, "Or stay back here."

Doris made a noise of disbelief. "As if, I'm practically the only reason these two finally got outta the fumbling girl crushes phase. Oh, hey..." Doris' eyes glinted with something dangerous, "I could tell Olivia here about our little secret."

Casey's smirk disappeared and Casey crossed her arms over her chest. "For an umbrella, for Go... it's rain Doris. What do you think, you'll melt?"

"Oh, I..."

Olivia pulled Doris back away from Casey. They'd moved until they were practically nose to nose. "Hey, hey, time out. What the hell just happened you two?"

Doris stared at Casey for along moment, then shook her head, "Nothing. Just more of the same for me I think."

Natalia spoke to Casey. "What secret Casey? Secrets aren't good things, they get under our skin, and burrow and burrow."

Casey shook her head, "It doesn't matter, and it is not something that will... burrow."

"Puleeze. You have this tough, I'm gonna kick the world's butt, and don't need nobody, thing going. But everyone needs someone. Everyone needs a home." Doris wasn't giving an inch.

Casey backed up and sank onto a bench. "It's an umbrella Doris." Doris tilted her head to one side, but said nothing more.

Olivia finally spoke, "It can't be that bad. You were once male?" Casey shook her head negatively. "You want to be male?"

"No. Why are you... No."

Olivia pursed her lips, "You secretly did all the crimes and managed to pin them on crazy Sonni?"

This got a sigh and then a, "No. You won't guess it."

Olivia took a step away from Natalia and towards Casey. "Then you should tell me."

Casey sighed again, "You're not going to get all joined and hitched if I don't tell you? We're all just going to stand here."

"Probably. So, tell me."

Casey leaned her head back against the wall of the house and stared past everyone into the rain. "Apparently, according to Doris' ill gotten DNA test. I am your sister, on both sides. So..."

Casey stayed perfectly still as Olivia sat down next to her. The hotelier turned and stared at Casey. "How old are you?"

"Twenty..."

"...Nine. Nineteen Eighty. My mother was gone from San Cristobel for six months. My God, I never thought." She put a hand to her chest and then quite suddenly her head whipped around to face Casey again. "You're, you..." Casey jerked as suddenly she was engulfed by Olivia in a bone crushing hug. In Casey's ear she spoke, "I don't frickin' care if you're Jack the Ripper, thank you, thank you, thank you for my daughter's life."

It was a few moments before Casey could pry herself out of the older woman's grasp and stand. "I didn't. I didn't know at that point. Doris thought I'd match Phillip, be a Spaulding."

Rafe held a hand up, "Phillip's not a Spaulding, genetically I mean. Marler."

Natalia sat down next to Olivia and took her hand, "We can do this tomorrow, or later, or n..."

Olivia shook her head, "No." She stood, causing Natalia to stand as well. "Doris will give Rebecca her umbrella. Everyone else who's here will either find an umbrella, stay in the house, or get wet. And we will be kissing each other while getting quite drenched."

Natalia smiled, "Sounds good to me." She guided Olivia towards the back door. "Let's tell everyone. I'm just... sure they'll all be overjoyed."

Everyone filed inside except Casey, who stopped Rafe with a hand to his shoulder. "Rafe."

Rafe frowned at Casey. "I can't help you with Olivia."

Casey waved a hand. "I don't care about that. No, you... you want to be a Cop? A Detective one day?"

"Did..." He shrugged, "Not gonna happen."

"It will... if you still want it to."

Rafe frowned at the woman. "I have a felony on my record, means the best I can be is a square badge."

Casey crossed her arms over her chest, "Trust me. You finish getting your criminal justice degree, or whatever you plan to graduate with. Then, try again with the SFPD, or any police department."

"It doesn't work that way lady..."

"I'm no lady." Casey tilted her head to one side, then nodded, "You don't believe me, that's fine. Check with one of your Detective buddies who arrested me."

Rafe stared at Casey for one last beat, then pushed by her and through the door.

Casey turned to follow him and found Doris there. "Who the hell are you Casey?"

"Casey Jones, born in 1980 in Massachusetts. Sober since 1998. Apparently, no longer an orphan, and, I'm tired, so tired."

Doris wrapped her arms around Casey. "I'm... I'm sorry about..."

Casey shrugged, "In the end, it doesn't matter."

"You're still leaving tomorrow?" Casey nodded, "Then, I guess you can finally relax."

Casey closed her eyes, "No more people. Find somewhere where nothing can blow up, there are no livers, and absolutely no family."


	16. Chapter 16

It was still pouring. The farmhouse's backyard was looking more and more like a swamp. Some people had even left their shoes inside and figured that it was easier to clean the feet than the too expensive shoes. Even the umbrella's were getting into the act. The small sections of plastic and cloth that everyone had scrounged and bargained back and forth for added an unintentional rainbow to the proceedings. Still, there were those who didn't have an umbrella. In the back, Rafe, Sam, Emma, Olivia and Natalia stood, getting wetter and wetter.

A few rows in on Natalia's side of the aisle Rosa and Max sat, smiling into the rain. More than once they'd refused umbrella's offered by Natalia, and most of the rest of the people.

On Olivia's side Bill, Josh, Billy, and Buzz also sat sans umbrella, though Lizzie sat next to her mother, both huddled under Beth's umbrella. The boys didn't seem to be minding the rain though, they were having adolescent fun while they waited, flicking wetness off their suits and hair at the others, while getting death glares from the women around them. At least, they were having fun until a stray flick hit Reva. It got a smile from Reva, but a grumble from Jeffrey.

And of course near the front on Olivia's side of the aisle sat a glowering wet Doris and a smirking Casey.

The reason everyone was waiting was up at the front of all the chairs. Soon after Natalia and Olivia had decided to go ahead with everything they realized that the string quartet, that had turned into a trio at some point during all the hubbub, probably shouldn't get their instruments soaked. Though the musicians weren't quite sure if they'd even be able to be heard over the rain's spattering. It had taken some thorough looking by Rafe and Sam, directed by Olivia and Natalia, but they'd found a clear tarp left over from something and managed to string it and prop it up so that the three people could play without getting wet, or holding umbrellas with their teeth.

And finally, they did play.

They started playing 'Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring'. Emma shook her head, flinging water out of her eyes and practically skipped down the aisle. She got to the front and ducked under an umbrella held by her older sister Ava.

Next, everyone stood. Olivia with her arm through her younger brother's arm walked towards Rebecca. When they got to the end of the aisle he hugged her to him, took a step back and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He moved to the side, but didn't bother with an umbrella, he was quite soaked already.

Everyone's eyes went back to the back as Natalia and Rafe started down the aisle. Rafe leaned over to his Mom and spoke softly in her ear, "Did you remember to stash a defibrillator somewhere in the penthouse at the Beacon?"

Natalia glanced over at her son, "What?"

Rafe looked forward again and Natalia followed suit, "Well, with how Olivia's lookin' at you right now, her heart's gonna 'splode tonight."

They stopped at the front and Natalia kissed her son. "I love you Raphael."

He hugged her, "Love you too Ma."

He took his place next to her and ran a hand through his soaked hair as the ceremony started. There was only one thought in his head, what a day.

oOOOOo

Towers was packed. Olivia and Natalia hadn't arrived yet, but no one inside Towers seemed to mind and they didn't let that put off their partying.

Frank's entrance wasn't noticed in all the commotion. It wasn't until he put a hand on his father's shoulder that anyone acknowledged him. "Frank. Beer? Or something stronger?"

"Oh yes..."

"How'd it go?"

Frank shook his head, "I don't know what's been going through her head, but who knows if it's sane or not. Mel's on her case, defending her. She'll probably have a psych eval soon." He paused and glanced around, "I guess that... this al went okay?"

Buzz smiled and nodded, "It was adequately gushy, not to mention literally mushy, the ground was at least. Though, I think both of them held back. It rained, we all got soaked."

Frank blinked, "Olivia Spencer got married in what it's doing out there?"

Buzz didn't get to answer as a chorus of 'heys' and 'Natalia' and 'Olivias' rained down. "Time for the surprise."

"Surprise?"

The crowd parted and Frank saw what Buzz was talking about. Olivia did as well. A laugh bubbled from her. "An entirely purple cake huh?" She looked down at her daughter, "Your idea Em?"

Emma laughed and pointed at Natalia. "No, it was Natalia's. Do you like it?"

Olivia hugged Natalia closer, "It's perfect. Everything today has been perfect."

Somehow as the partying resumed Natalia, Olivia and Emma found themselves in front of Buzz and Frank. There was an uncomfortable silence that Emma broke. "Buzz, can we dance?"

Buzz bowed at the waist and held a hand to Emma. "Of course Emma, darling, lead the way." She took his hand and did just that, leaving Natalia, Olivia, and Frank alone.

Olivia was the one who broke the silence again, "Is she going far, far away?"

"I... I don't know."

Olivia pulled away from Natalia and crossed her arms over her chest. "She killed my friend."

"We don't know if she was... sane at the time."

"God Frank, are you really that stu..."

"Olivia..." Natalia gently pulled Olivia's arms down and reclaimed the older woman's hand. "This is a happy day. Tomorrow we can worry about... everything. Today, we have fun, okay?" She looked between Frank and Olivia. "And no pissing contests."

This got Olivia to chuckle, "Think I'd win that one?" She turned and put both arms around Natalia. "Fun, I think I can do that."

Frank bit off an audible groan and looked around for someone, anyone, as Olivia and Natalia got lost in each other's kisses.

It was Blake who punched him on the shoulder and rolled her eyes at the two women. "Hey, studley, want to dance?"

"Yes, yes, God yes."

Blake chuckled and pulled Frank towards the dance floor. "Aren't you supposed to... appreciate two women kissing."

He glanced back, "Not those two."

oOOOOo

Doris stepped into her house and peeled off her jacket. She felt arms encircle her and shook her head. "Casey..." Doris stepped out of the arms and turned. "It was fun, now it's over. I'm going to get out of these soaking clothes, which, by the way, are your fault. Then, I'm going to go to the shindig at Towers, get looked down on, and wish my... whatever the hell Natalia and Olivia are to me... wish them well. Maybe I'll even get drunk."

Casey crossed her arms over her chest. "Just like that, we go our separate ways. I'm leaving, so you break first?"

Doris shrugged, "I'm not one for commitment, and you've been itching to get out of this town since Company blew up. They caught the bad guy, you can fade into the horizon like a proper tragic hero."

"And you?"

"I always land on my feet, and if there's one thing needed in this town it's good defense lawyers." She paused, then nodded, "I always land on my feet."

Casey stared at Doris for one more moment, then shrugged, "I guess this is good-bye then. I don't have much, it all blew up with Company, so I was just going to head out."

Doris held up a finger and went to her front hall closet. She reached in and came out with a leather jacket. "It's never really fit me, and... not that you'd fall off your bike, but... you know." She shrugged, trailed off, and thrust the jacket at Casey. "Here."

With that, she made her way up the stairs and to her room, leaving a quite confused Casey in her wake.

oOOOOo

A hand appeared over Doris' glass. "You're still drinking?"

Doris shrugged and moved Olivia's hand. The former Mayor had gotten there just as they were cutting the, in her opinion, garishly horrible purple cake, and went right to the bar. She'd been there ever since, "You aren't my mother. Go away." Olivia sat down on the stool next to Doris. "Shouldn't you be with Natalia, shagging her senseless?"

Olivia turned on her stool and Doris did as well, though she nearly managed to pitch herself off it. "See those two with Rafe and Natalia..."

"Six?"

Olivia chuckled, "Sure, they are Max and Rosa Rivera, Natalia's parents. For the first time in 18 years they're talking to each other. There is no way in hell I'd get in the way of that, no matter how much I want to be..." Doris coughed and Olivia smiled, "I'd have thought you and Casey would be riding an 'Casey's still alive' bliss?"

"Left."

Olivia pulled her gaze away from the Rivera family, "You wanted her to stay?"

"No..." Doris made a noise in the back of her throat. "Why would I want that? I'm free. I don't even have to hide the flirting anymore. I'm free, as free as a... a..."

"Bird. Do you want to be free?"

Doris swiveled back towards the bar, "I'm Doris Wolfe..." She raised her glass and downed the shot. "To free..."

oOOOOo

"Young man, do you have somewhere to be?"

Rafe blinked and focused on Max. "Huh?"

Max looked over his shoulder, "You are staring intently at the door."

Rafe shook his head and folded his hands on the table in front of him, "No, no, of course not."

Natalia put an arm around Rafe and kissed his cheek. "Go."

Rafe shook his head emphatically, "No, Ma. I'm okay. This has been a... surprisingly good day. This is your day."

"Go Raphael, go before Lillian or Vanessa snag you to dance with them again."

Rafe didn't seem to know where to move to first, finally he leaned over, gave his mother a kiss and stood. "Uh, Max, Rosa, it was great to meet you. Love ya Ma."

And then he was gone. Natalia smiled after him as Rosa took her daughter's hand. "You have done amazing things with that boy, all by yourself." There was note of sadness in her voice as she spoke.

Natalia shrugged, "I didn't have much choice Mama."

A head lay itself on Natalia's shoulder, two of the most beautiful, captivating, and loving eyes looked up at Natalia. "I need to go."

Natalia frowned and turned to face Olivia, who had to lift her head so she didn't get bonked by Natalia's head. "What?"

Olivia smiled, "I'll be back, but, Doris' body is, right at the moment composed more of alcohol than water, she shouldn't be driving, shouldn't really be walking or standing either, though she's managing those."

Natalia stretched her head up and they kissed, "Hurry back okay?"

"Yep."

Olivia practically skipped away and Max couldn't help but chuckle. Rosa gave him a shove. Natalia looked between the two of them. "What is it?"

"Natty... your son is in love."

Natalia nodded, "I know. Lea Bauer."

"Oh."

Natalia sighed and sat back, "Rafe and I have an open relationship. We have to tell each other everything, it was the only way it would work with me working so much. It got a little strained when I, when he realized that I love Olivia"

Natalia didn't blinked when she spoke the last part of her statement. Her father looked down for a moment, but Natalia was happy when her mother reached over and took a hold of her hands. "I'm... we're sorry."

Natalia shook her head, "I don't know wh..."

"Father Lorne."

Natalia blinked, "Who?"

It seemed to be Max's turn to speak, "Father Davis, I think he was there when you were a kid, you remember him?" Natalia nodded, "He retired and we got Father Lorne, he was... different. No one particularly liked him. I... we heard about Nicky. I went to see him, because, well, there was no one else." He looked down at his hands and back up at his daughter. "We taught you to abide by God, and then when you tried to, we kicked you out. We... we put rules, limits, whatever you want to call them, on our love. Love is love, it's... it's taken me..." Rosa nodded, "It's taken us a long time to realize that, and Father Lorne helped a us a lot, but we have."

Rosa took over, "You have no reason to want us anywhere near your life. It looks like a good one, great even. You..."

Natalia interrupted her mother, "It's not about me Mama. I... I haven't figured out how I feel about seeing you again since Olivia sprung you on me, but Rafe, he's been through a lot, and his... he needs grandparents who aren't out to use him. If he wants to know you, it's fine with me."

Rosa blinked tears from her eyes, "Natalia. Thank you."

Max coughed and swatted a hand over his eyes. "This may seem. Would you dance with your old man Natalia?"

Natalia narrowed her eyes at him and glanced up and down, "Can you keep up Dad?"

Max chuckled, "Probably not."

"Of course I will."


	17. Chapter 17

Doris stood in front of her back door, still unsteady on her feet. She'd been there since Olivia had dropped her off. Nearly the whole night. She could feel the morning sun coming up on the back of her neck. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to go in or not. Or more specifically she wasn't sure if she wanted Casey to be there or not.

She felt a drop of rain on her back and finally turned the key in the lock, pushing into her empty house. She put down her things in the kitchen and went into the living room. "Oh..."

oOOOOo

"Rafe, what're you doin'?"

Emma crawled up onto the couch, yawned and pushed her head under his arm. He had his laptop on his lap and Firefox open. "This is called Fantasy Baseball."

Emma studied the screen for a moment, then looked up at Rafe, "You have all Cubs players Rafe."

"I do..."

Emma frowned, "Are you winning?"

He hit the link for the homepage of the league. "I'm..."

"RR's Cubbies? You're in last place Rafe."

Rafe shrugged, "Have been for a bit, yep."

"Can I help?"

Rafe ruffled Emma's hair, "You probably can Em, but this season's almost done. How 'bout next year?"

Emma nodded.

The phone rang and Rafe managed to get to it before it rang again. Unlike the plan, Olivia and Natalia had spent the night at the farmhouse, not the Beacon's penthouse. "Hello. Oh, hey Frank... no way, are you sure?" Rafe frowned, "No, no, I'm just stunned, I never thought sh... I'm stunned. Yeah, yeah, I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks man."

Emma frowned at Rafe, "Rafe, what's wrong?"

Rafe tickled at Emma, throwing her into a fit of giggles. "You are just too smart for your own good, you know that kid?" Emma shrugged, "Nothin's wrong. Now, have you decided what you want me to teach you. No calculus 'kay?"

Emma laughed behind her hand then she stood. "Baseball. Throwin' and stuff."

Rafe frowned, "No one's ever taught you that? Not Olivia, or your Dad, or Ma?"

"Natalia?" Emma looked confused.

Rafe smiled, "Who do ya think taught me?"

"Oh... will you teach me?"

Rafe glanced around the room. He reached into one of the skinny paper recycling bins his Ma and Olivia had scattered around the house and balled up the front page of one of Springfield's newspapers. "Catch."

Emma stuck her hands up and caught it with only a little bobble.

"Okay, now throw it back."

"With which hand?"

Rafe thought for a moment then nodded to himself, "Hold it in both hands and close your eyes. Now, throw it."

Emma spoke as she kept her eyes squeezed shut, "What if I break something?"

"You won't, I promise, and if you do... you can always blame it on your older brother."

Emma laughed and then her face went serious again. "Just throw. What if I do it with the wrong hand?"

"You won't. Don't think, just throw."

She did, the ball of paper flying from her left hand and fluttering into Rafe's hands. She opened her eyes to a frowning Rafe. And she got a panicky look on her face. "Did I do it wrong?"

"No, no... no."

It was Natalia who spoke from the stairway. "My son is simply surprised that you can throw lefty Emma. You write with your right hand." She stared down at Rafe. "And is about to be in trouble unless he stops throwing things in the house."

Rafe smirked and flipped the newspaper ball at Natalia, who caught it with ease. He laughed and ducked to the side as Natalia whipped it back at him. It hit the brick facade of the fireplace and bounced back into the recycling bin. Emma laughed.

Rafe smirked, "So, does the Beacon have a softball team?"

Olivia spoke from behind Natalia on the stairs, "We're going to now. We could totally kick the SFPD's a... butts."

Rafe raised an eyebrow and took a hold of Emma's hand. "Want to help me make our Mom's some breakfast."

"Cookies?"

Rafe chuckled, "Probably not short stuff. Eggs maybe."

Natalia and Olivia finished descending the stairs. "You still think she'll be a politician?"

Natalia laughed, "Starting first baseman for the Cubs?" Olivia smiled, "As long as I get to see who she becomes at your side, I couldn't care less what she winds up doing."

Olivia leaned her cheek against Natalia's. "I think that can be arranged."

oOOOOo

There was a plant in her living room. And leaning against it was a piece of paper folded in half with Doris' name on it. She took a breath and opened it.

'Doris,

I don't' know if you're a green or black thumb, one of the many questions I never asked. This is a Night-Blooming Cereus. It's one of the few unique plants that barely ever bloom, but when it does, it is astoundingly beautiful. I don't know what we are or were, or what you want or wanted us to be, but I will be back before this blooms. That much I promise. I'm like the Bamboo that once you plant, you just can't get rid of.

Love,  
Casey Jones'

Doris sank to the floor, the letter still gripped in her hand. After a moment she looked back up at the plant, "Damn I hope I don't kill it before then."


End file.
